Fox Magic
by AkaiTsume
Summary: A decision made in the heat of the moment leaves Sasuke questioning his past, his future, and his convictions, all while dealing with an ancient, all-powerful fox demon whose grudge transcends both time and space. NaruSasuNaru, canonish AU
1. In the Beginning

**Author's note: I'm baaack! Since this story is still in its beginning stages, make sure to give lots of feedback, ne? Again, warnings: Male/Male pairing, (Slight) Alternate Universe, strong language.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The constant drum of rain about him reverberated through his head as he leaned against a shadowed wall in the alley. His Jounin's uniform clung uncertainly to him as his chest heaved from exertion, red eyes anxiously scanning the world about him. Despite the apparent calm of his surroundings, he knew he would only have one chance at this. 

A brief welling of chakra was his only warning before Sasuke threw himself to the side, skidding on the slick pavement. Immediately, one fist was drawn out to the side, exploding in blue chakra.

"Tonight is the night you _die_, brother!" he hissed, eyes narrowing at the slouched form before him. Itachi lifted his head, his face impassive.

"Amazing," he replied calmly, "that after all this time, you remain simply a nuisance."

Scowling viciously, Sasuke raced forward. Chidori screaming about his fist, he aimed for his brother's heart.

"I'll see you in fucking _HELL!_"

_CRACK!_

Itachi dodged so smoothly that even with Sasuke's eyes, he couldn't follow the movement. The wall of the nearest building exploded as Chidori connected with it, but before Sasuke could muster another shot, a cold hand gripped the back of his neck and threw him backwards. Gasping as his back hit a wall, Sasuke reached for his pack of kunai.

"_Tsk_. I would think that by now you'd have learned better, little brother." Pinning the other man to the wall, Itachi leveled his red eyes on him. A vague flash of anger appeared in those eyes, but before Sasuke could determine what he saw, the emotion was gone. "You are still _pathetic_."

A wet hand clapped onto Sasuke's throat and tightened. "Why...did you come back here?" Sasuke forced out, clawing at the hand. Itachi's eyes darkened.

"Not for you, little brother. For a power I left behind." The killer's voice was almost quiet, thoughtful. Sasuke spat on him.

"Fuck you!" He ignored the hand that continued to tighten about his neck, forming a second Chidori about his fist. Eyes gleaming with hatred, he began to punch.

"_Tsk_. Amateur." Instead of retaliating, Itachi focused his blood-red eyes on Sasuke's. The younger man had a split-second to feel panic before he heard the last words of this fight that he would remember.

"Mangekyou."

* * *

Several hours later, Sasuke forced his eyes open. The rain had begun to let up, falling almost anxiously upon his head as he lay slumped against the wall in the alley. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked around. 

_He got away again._ After a long moment of contemplating the ground, he scowled viciously and rammed his fist back against the wall.

"FUCK!" He grit his teeth almost painfully hard. "How can he still be so much stronger than me? _WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?_"

Fueled by fury alone, Sasuke forced himself to his feet and staggered towards the vacant Uchiha town. _He said he was looking for a power he left. What the fuck was he talking about?_ His scowl deepened as he made his way through the town. _What does he WANT?_

He paused just outside his silent home, noting with loathing eyes that his front door had been torn off its hinges. _So much for subtlety. Fuck you, Itachi._

As he stepped through the doorway, he noticed that the rest of his home was in similar disarray. Walls had holes punched through them, dressers were overturned, and parts of the floor had been pulled up. Suddenly exhausted, Sasuke simply wove his way around the disaster that had become of his home and headed for his room.

A brief look with his Sharingan told him that Itachi was long gone, regardless of why he _came_ in the first place.

Contemplating whether or not he should just stick a kunai in his chest and end everyone's trouble, Sasuke paused outside the study. It, too, had been torn up...but it was also the most logical place to search for something, if it had been hidden away by any of the Uchiha clan. Frowning, he stepped into the room.

_What the hell was he looking for?_ His eyes passed over the hundreds of scrolls that had been tossed about the room. _Was it a technique scroll? What the hell kind of technique would Itachi need that he doesn't already have? And why the hell would he come back after all this time to get it?_

Narrowing his eyes, he ignored the protests of his viciously drained body and mind and began sifting through the scrolls. They seemed to outline family jutsu for the most part...but even scrolls that seemed to seal away secret techniques had been casually tossed aside by the roving madman.

Angry again, Sasuke tossed a fistful of scrolls aside. "What was he looking for? What!"

When the room failed to answer, he staggered to his feet. "WHAT?"

His temper, fueled by having failed at his responsibilities AGAIN, caused Chidori to flare one last time upon his arm. Roaring, he turned to the far wall and ran at it.

"WHAT DOES HE FUCKING WANT?"

_BOOM!_

Chest heaving, he watched as the wall crumbled in front of him...except for one patch of brick revealed by the falling wood and plaster. He paused, then stumbled forward and placed his hands upon the old brick.

It was hot to the touch.

Eyebrows furrowing, Sasuke rammed his shoulder against the already shaky brick wall. It fell away, revealing what looked like a...closet? Confused now, Sasuke cautiously stepped into the small room. A tiny, wooden box lay against the shadowed back wall, a withered seal peeling off the latch. Lifting it, he peeled away the last of the seal and opened the box.

An ancient-looking orange scroll sat in the middle of the box. The Uchiha symbol lay upon the outside, but a black spiral appeared to be burned over it. His frown increasing, Sasuke peeled open the scroll.

_Could this be what Itachi was looking for?_ A wave of determination coursing through him, Sasuke scanned the contents.

_To the bearer of this scroll,_

_Beware the power of your ambitions, for if your actions are not committed carefully, they will prove your last. Within this scroll lies the key to the Uchiha clan's greatest asset; nay, the Fire Country's greatest source of power. Only those with the strongest of wills can obtain this power._

_If you doubt yourself for a moment, you will die._

_Within this chamber, you will find a sealed container. When removing the seal, you must chant, "I am your master. You will submit to me." If your will is not strong, you will die. If you succeed, the greatest power the world has ever known will belong to you._

_You have been cautioned. Proceed by your own courage. _

After a moment, Sasuke rolled up the scroll. _I guess that answers my question_. Eyes narrowing, he ran his fingers against the darkened wall and found that the entire wall moved with a light push. He peered into the darkened tunnel beyond; a blast of stale, hot air rushed out to meet him.

Gritting his teeth, he plunged forward. _I WILL obtain that power. I will become the most powerful person in the Fire Country, and I will FINALLY avenge my clan!_

The tunnel swept sharply down and to the left, thick stone greeting his questing fingertips. Though the air in the tunnel was hot, the stones were cold as ice. Activating his Sharingan, he lifted his eyebrows as faint swirls of red chakra traced the walls and floor of the tunnel.

_Exactly what kind of power is sealed down here?_ The ground leveled abruptly, bringing him to a small chamber. His feet scuffed the stone floor as he stopped, the noise echoing upon the chamber walls.

_Fwoom!_

Without warning, two unseen torches on either side of the chamber sprang to life, throwing oddly dancing light about the chamber. Stilling, Sasuke glanced around at the small room. It felt oddly clean, considering the fact that it seemed like no one had set foot in there for at least fifty years. No dust graced the floors, and no cobwebs could be spotted.

Before him stood an immaculate wooden cabinet. Its finish gleamed in the firelight, as did the ruby red spirals dancing across the doors. Sure enough, a seal bearing the Uchiha symbol rested across the latch for the doors. Frowning, Sasuke stepped forward.

_Scritch. Scritch._

He stilled again. _Those sounds...did they come from inside the cabinet?_ As he stood, the faint scratching sounds continued. A soft, animalistic whine took to the air, but it was so light that Sasuke couldn't be sure he heard anything at all. His eyebrows furrowed. _Did something get in there?_

Shaking his head, he stepped forward. _Wouldn't it just be my luck if a rat made its home in here, and nothing else remains?_

As he lifted a hand to the seal, the scratching stopped. He hesitated.

"_Chant 'I am your master. You will submit to me'. If you doubt yourself for a moment, you will die."_

Sasuke pursed his lips briefly, then settled them into a flat line. _I'm not taking any chances._ Scowling, he began the mantra and set his hand upon the seal. The entire cabinet rattled.

"I am your master. You will submit to me. I am your master..." Gripping the edge of the seal, he peeled it away. "You will submit to me."

The moment the paper left the wood, the doors flung open. A violent gust of wind blew out the torches, and Sasuke was immediately surrounded by the sound of vicious growling and consuming heat.

"I am your master!" he gasped out, the heat bearing down on him like the flames of hell. Pain shot through him, but he continued his mantra. "You will submit to me!"

A pair of violently red eyes appeared in the darkness before him, and an inhuman roar shook him to the bone. Refusing to be mesmerized by the bloodlust in those red eyes, Sasuke growled out his mantra.

"_I am your master! You WILL submit to me!_"

The heat seemed to grow solid, clasping him and searing him to the point where he was sure that nothing would remain but ash. Fighting the mind-numbing pain, he continued to choke out his mantra.

"YOU WILL SUBMIT TO ME!"

Just before the pain became unbearable, Sasuke felt a third roar ricochet through his body. He felt himself lose consciousness, yelling the mantra almost senselessly as he crumpled to the floor.

As the darkened world faded, those wicked red eyes turned blue.

With a soft _thump_, Sasuke's head hit the stone floor, and he was lost to the world.

* * *

"Uhnn..." Groaning, Sasuke felt his senses begin to return to him. _I'm not dead?_ Slowly lifting an arm, he pressed it over his eyes to block out the sunlight that was shining down on him. 

...Wait a second. Sunlight?

Sasuke peeled one eye open, surprised to discover that the sun was indeed shining on him, and he was currently lying on his couch.

_What the hell?_ His mind foggy, Sasuke attempted to sit up...and noticed a very prominent weight on his chest. Lowering his arm, he opened both eyes and looked down.

A pair of sky blue eyes gazed curiously at him.

Blinking, Sasuke stared at the creature that had taken up residence on his chest. It appeared to be a red fox about the size of a Doberman, a multitude of thick tails swarming behind it. Tilting its head, the fox regarded him with analyzing eyes.

"What the...hell?" Sasuke managed. His throat felt raw as he spoke. "Where the hell did you come from?"

The fox simply gave him a dry look.

Grunting, Sasuke slid his arms beneath him and pushed himself up. The fox didn't bother to move, sliding passively down his chest to rest in his lap. Sasuke glowered at the creature.

"Get the fuck off me."

After a moment of staring at him, the fox heaved a mild sigh and obediently leapt to the ground. It waited expectantly, its tails weaving about it. Sasuke scowled at it.

"A fucking nine tailed rodent." He ignored the way the animal seemed to bristle at his statement. "Don't tell me that _you_ were in the damn box."

The fox lost interest in him, turning to gnaw at its hip. Sasuke sighed. "Just my luck. I'll bet you're useless."

He received a dirty look for that one. Lifting an eyebrow, Sasuke put his legs on the floor and leaned over, elbows resting on his knees.

"What, you're actually intelligent?" He let out a snort, too worn out to bother about maintaining his cool appearance. "Right. I'll bet if I put you in a paper bag, you'd be lost for weeks."

A low growl was his response.

Shaking his head, Sasuke slowly rose to his feet. "If Itachi wanted you so badly, he can have you. I have no use for a rodent." He made his way towards the kitchen, stepping around the mess his older brother had made. "I wish this damn place was clean," he grumbled.

_Zzzzzzap! CRASH! Thunk, thunk, whump._

Sasuke froze, then slowly turned to look at the room around him. The fox sat in the center of the floor, calmly licking its front paw.

The entire room was spotless.

"...The hell?" He stared at the fox. "No way. He couldn't have..."

Shaking his head, he continued into the kitchen. Opening a cabinet, he rummaged tiredly for something to eat.

_Scritch. Sritch._

Glancing down, he saw that the fox had chosen to follow him, scratching and staring at his pantry like it was the fox's long lost love. Sasuke glowered.

"Hell no. Forget it. I'm not keeping a fucking pet, and I'm damn well not going to feed you." Grabbing some cereal, a bowl, a spoon, and a carton of milk from the fridge, he sat heavily at the table. He pointedly ignored the fox at his feet as he made himself a bowl. After a long, fixated stare, the fox grumpily laid down.

"...Bastard."

Sasuke froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth. _Did it just...talk?_ Setting the spoon down, he glared down at the animal beside him. It was staring forlornly at the fridge, heaving a long-suffering sigh. Sasuke frowned, then returned his attention to his food. _I must've imagined it..._

As he took a bite, his imagination took over again.

"And just so you know, you're not exactly the pick of the litter yourself, smartass."

Choking, Sasuke tossed the spoon down. "That does it!" Turning, he pointed an accusing finger down at the fox. "What the hell are you?"

The fox gave him a bored look, its mouth remaining shut. Sasuke scowled.

"Dammit, tell me! Who the hell are you!"

Sighing, the fox rose to its feet and leapt onto the table. Folding its nine tails about it, it gazed belligerently at the Uchiha heir.

"My true name is not important, though I am often called Kyuubi no Kitsune." His eyes narrowed. "And I'm _not_ a rodent."

Sasuke couldn't help it—he stared. "Then what are you, exactly?"

Kyuubi rolled his eyes. "Well now, you sure did your homework, didn't you?" he replied sarcastically. He glowered at the boy in front of him. "I'm one of nine demons, and from this day forward, I officially hate your guts."

Sasuke dredged up a smirk within his confusion. "Any reason why?"

"Because, apparently, you're my master." He paused, then gave Sasuke a frighteningly toothy grin.

"And, for better or for worse...I'm your genie."

**

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, I promise they'll get longer. And before anyone asks, NO, there will be no bestiality in this fic. Read and review, ne?**


	2. Useless

**Author's note:**** I'm glad this got such a great response! Keep up the love, lol. **

** Enjoy.  
**

* * *

Silence settled in the kitchen as Sasuke stared at the creature in front of him. Blinking, he tried to process what he'd just been told. _A genie. This **rodent** is a genie?_ He snorted, folding his arms over his chest and giving the fox a cool, condescending look. 

"You? A genie? Don't waste my time." One lip curled into a snide smirk. "If you can grant wishes, then prove it."

Kyuubi sighed, rolling his eyes. "Cleaning your house wasn't enough?" Looking vaguely repulsed by the man he was addressing, the fox lifted one paw—which Sasuke just realized was remarkably hand-like...the damn thing had opposable thumbs—and licked at it. "All right, big boy, what do you want me to do?"

Sasuke frowned thoughtfully. "Well, so long as we're supposedly granting wishes, let's make it practical." He leaned back in his chair. "I wish for thirty kunai."

Both waited for a long moment, but nothing happened. Torn between amusement and annoyance, the Uchiha lifted an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Where are they, oh mighty genie?"

Kyuubi gave him a look that clearly insulted his intelligence. "How should I know? You've been throwing kunai around since you were what, four? Technically, they all still belong to you." Yawning, which was more a show of baring his teeth than anything else, the fox continued his inspection of his paw. "You could _try_ to be a little more intelligent than _that_."

_A contest of intellects, is it?_ Sasuke straightened in his seat. "Fine, then. I wish for thirty _new_ kunai. Right now."

Kyuubi set his paw down. "Alright then." Closing his blue eyes, the fox stiffened. All nine tails abruptly stood straight out, puffed, and a bolt of red electricity crackled within them with a long _zzzzzzzZAP!_ Smirking, he opened his eyes and let his tails settle about him again.

"Done."

Frowning, Sasuke glanced around. He didn't see anything new. His frown melted into a scowl as he turned back to the fox. "Where are they?"

"Where do you think? You wanted new kunai, didn't you?" Shaking his head, the fox launched a stretching routine, sticking his butt in the air as his claws gouged the table. "They're at the store. I sure hope you have the money to cover them..."

Eyes narrowing, Sasuke swung at the fox. It only served to annoy him further when Kyuubi calmly leapt over his arm and continued defacing the wood of his table. The raven-haired man nearly growled at the irritating animal.

"I didn't ask for you to _buy_ them," he ground out. Kyuubi continued to ignore him, shifting so that he stretched out his back legs.

"Then you should have specified. I'm not responsible for _your_ dumb wishes."

_I'll be damned if I'll lose to this rodent!_ "Fine! I wish for thirty kunai, right now, right here on the table." Smirking, he tapped the spot in front of his forgotten bowl. "Pull that one off, smartass."

"Oookay, if that's what you want." Again, the fox stilled, his tails stood out, and a bolt of electricity shot between them. Immediately, he dropped down from the table. "Have fun."

Sasuke started to scowl. "You little—there's nothing here!" Abruptly, he froze as a high pitched whistling sound caught his ear. He glanced out the window, eyes going wide. "FUCK!"

Throwing himself out of his chair, Sasuke hit the floor just as thirty kunai burst through his window and lodged themselves in the table, his chair, and the cabinets directly behind him. His bowl exploded, showering milk and cereal down on him. The attack stopped a second later, the only sound in the kitchen that of milk dripping off the table and smacking the linoleum floor.

_That...DOES it._ Enraged, Sasuke stood, stormed over to the fox staring up at him so nonchalantly, and wrapped his fingers around its small neck. He hoisted it off the floor, squeezing.

"You dumb fucking animal! Are you trying to _kill _me?"

"_UNHAND ME!"_ Abruptly, Kyuubi's eyes turned a violent red, and his voice thundered within the household. Growling, he lifted one paw and viciously slashed Sasuke's arm. The Uchiha immediately dropped him, hissing in pain and clapping his free hand over the wounds.

Kyuubi bristled as he hit the floor, his fangs bared. "Don't you _EVER_ handle me like that again, Uchiha. I will _NOT_ stand for it." His eyes slowly faded back to blue, and his bottom hit the floor. Tails swirling furiously, he scowled at the man in front of him. "And besides, it's not in my best interest to kill you. If you die, _I_ end up back in confinement."

Sasuke considered kicking the dumb rodent, but at this rate he might not retrieve his foot in one piece. Settling for scowling instead, he attempted to stem the blood flow from his arm.

"In case you haven't noticed, _I'M_ your master. That means _I_ make the rules, not you!" He swore he saw red—and it _wasn't_ the Sharingan—when Kyuubi simply rolled his eyes and murmured, "Yeah, yeah," under his breath.

The Uchiha scowled. "Damn you..."

"Look, I don't make the rules, alright?" He glared up at Sasuke, obviously annoyed at having to explain himself. "The fact is, I have to have something to work with before I can grant a wish. I can't create something from nothing, okay?" Pausing, he glanced away and muttered, "So if you asked for a _brain_, I'd have to just igno—"

"I _get_ it." Despite the fact that he would dearly love to stick one of those kunai in the little bastard's heart, Sasuke found that his arm was becoming a pressing issue. The wounds wouldn't stop bleeding. "Dammit."

Kyuubi eyed the cuts for a long moment, then sighed. "...C'mere. I'll heal those for you."

Sasuke glared at him, unwilling to put himself in _that_ thing's care. "Right. And I suppose I'll come away horribly disfigured, just because I wasn't _specific_."

"No, you'll be fine. I'm actually starting to feel guilty." Sasuke didn't think he'd ever heard those words with as much loathing and contempt as the fox managed. "Now come here."

Warily, Sasuke stepped forward and leaned down, placing his arm in front of the fox. Kyuubi sniffed at the gashes, then ran his tongue along them. Sasuke hissed.

"That _hurts_."

"Oh, stop being such a baby." He moved back, smacking his lips with a look that said, "I just tasted something _foul!_"

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, but when he glanced down...the gashes were already fading from his skin. In seconds, they were gone, not a mark left behind. He flexed his arm, frowning thoughtfully.

"So it seems that you're useful for _something_." He ignored the glare sent his way, glancing at his destroyed table, then the clock. "Dammit, I don't have time for this."

Blinking, Kyuubi watched him as he gathered his things and headed for the front door. The fox trotted after him.

"Where are you going?"

"Out." Pausing at the front door, he glared down at the animal. "And don't even _think_ about following me."

"Okay."

...Sasuke didn't trust that innocent expression for a second. Eyebrows furrowed, he opened the door.

_Whump._

Staggering slightly, Sasuke scowled up at the fox, who'd chosen to perch upon his shoulder.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"You said not to follow you." Tilting his head, Kyuubi gave him a wide-toothed grin. "I'll ride instead!"

"Like hell you are!" Sasuke attempted to dislodge him, but Kyuubi simply sank his claws into the brunette's shoulders. Two thick tails wrapped loosely around his neck, for balance or as a threat, Sasuke wasn't sure. "Dammit, I am _not_ walking through town with an animal the size of a _dog_ on my shoulder!"

Kyuubi glanced down at himself as though size hadn't occurred to him. "Oh. Yeah, good point." Without another word, he leapt down from Sasuke's shoulder.

The man started to relax, a satisfied smirk crossing his face. "That's better. So stay he—"

"How's this?" Grinning, Kyuubi leapt onto Sasuke's other shoulder. The raven-haired man turned to snarl at him...and blinked. The animal perched on his shoulder was now about the size of a tomcat.

"How did you..." Shaking his head, Sasuke looked away. "Never mind. You're _not_ coming with me."

"Oh, yes I am."

"_No_, you're not."

Kyuubi chuckled, poking his nose into Sasuke's ear. "Sorry to tell you this, boss, but I _have_ to go with you. The rules say that I'm not allowed to leave your side for an extended period of time." He laughed louder, obviously enjoying the disgruntled look on the man's face. "You're stuck with me."

Sasuke began grinding his teeth. "Any reason _why_ that's a rule?"

"Because it's annoying."

"I figured as much." With a sigh, the Uchiha left his home, locking the door behind him. He decided to ignore the creature perched upon his shoulder. _Who knows, maybe I can find a way to get rid of it later._ Shoving his hands in his pockets, he made his way through town.

_After Itachi's appearance last night, the Hokage will definitely want to see me._ He allowed an irritated scowl to settle on his face. _Damn him...why the hell would he come back just to collect this rodent?_ He glanced up at Kyuubi, who was looking around with wide, curious eyes. _Could he really be so powerful?_

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kuuuuun!"

Smothering a groan, Sasuke paused as the pink-haired kunoichi ran up to him. She came to a stop before him, a bright smile on her face.

"I didn't expect to run into you today." Pausing, she glanced at the fox on his shoulder, who was staring at her with large eyes. Her eyes began to sparkle. "Sasuke-kun...when did you get a pet?"

"Last night, apparently," he grumbled, vaguely irritated with the way she began to coo at the fox. Kyuubi leapt down to the ground and sat, peering curiously up at her.

"He's adorable!" Dropping to her knees, she placed her hands beneath his front legs and hoisted the fox up. She nuzzled her nose against his. "Don't you just have the cutest blue eyes I've ever seen!"

Sasuke fought the instinct to roll his eyes as Sakura stood, cradling Kyuubi to her chest. Naturally, the fox looked _quite_ pleased with the way things had turned out. Running a hand through the fox's red fur, Sakura smiled at her long-time crush.

"I never would've guessed that you'd keep a pet, Sasuke-kun. What's his name?"

"Kyuubi." The reply was directed more towards the fox himself, since the animal seemed to be slowly maneuvering himself to get a look down the girl's shirt. The fox glanced up at his name, then gave Sasuke a self-satisfied smirk.

"Kyuubi?" Sakura blinked in surprise, then shook her head. "Of course. Sasuke-kun _would_ give you a straightforward name, now wouldn't he?"

When she immediately launched into a round of loving coos and snuggles, Sasuke turned away. _I think I'm going to hurl..._ Clearing his throat, he started walking.

"Do me a favor, will you, Sakura? Take care of him for a while." Without waiting for a response from the surprised girl, he strode down the street. He felt the fox's glare burning into his back, but he simply smiled. _With any luck, she'll take him to the vet and neuter him._

His smirk diminished as he made his way towards the Hokage's office. _This is NOT going to be a pleasant meeting._

_

* * *

Fucking bastard. Where the hell does he think he's going?_ Baring his teeth, Kyuubi clambered up onto Sakura's shoulder and growled at the retreating back of his "master." A hand immediately rose to smooth the fur on his back—which felt _heavenly_, by the way...how many years had it been since someone pet him? Two hundred now?—and the girl began cooing in his ear.

"It's all right, sweetie. He'll be back."

_Yeah...sure. Whatever you say, toots._ He schooled his face into one of complete innocence as she pulled him back into her arms and smiled down at him. Lifting an eyebrow, he snuggled closer to her bosom, amused when she simply _awww_'d at him. _Then again...I could get used to this._

"Now then, what should we do while Sasuke-kun is gone?" She pursed her pretty lips, which made Kyuubi wonder just how much he could get away with in this form. Surely a "cute widdle fox" could get away with a lick or two on the cheek, right? Abruptly, his stomach rumbled, derailing his thoughts. _Gods...I'm SOOOO hungry..._

"Oh, you poor thing! Did Sasuke-kun feed you this morning?" In response to her inquiry, Kyuubi gave her the single most pathetic, "you know you want to wuv me" face he'd ever accomplished. She melted. "Let's go get you something to eat."

_...I'll love you for the rest of my life._

A few minutes later, the girl was carrying him past a variety of stores, biting her bottom lip as she looked around.

"Now, what do foxes eat?" she murmured, looking more confused by the second. "Chicken, I suppose...but is it supposed to be raw? Or maybe..."

As she spoke, a heavenly scent drifted past his nose. Rolling his head back against her arm, he inhaled deeply. _Oh heavens above..._ He wriggled, dropping down to the ground and quickly heading for the source of the scent. The girl followed closely behind him, obviously perplexed.

_Almost there...so close...HERE!_ Grinning, he leapt up onto a stool—unconsciously increasing his size so that he could place his front paws on the counter while sitting on the seat—and took a deep breath. _Raaaaaameeeeeeen...GODS ABOVE I've missed you..._

Amused, Sakura sat beside him. "I'm guessing you already know what you want." She laughed at the heartfelt look of adoration he sent her. "Ok, ok."

She turned to the shopkeeper, a sheepish smile on her face. "One order of chicken ramen, please."

Kyuubi could barely keep from fidgeting as the shopkeeper filled her order. _Oh please...oh please..._ He watched, hypnotized, as noodles were lifted into the air and lowered again. _Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease._

With a low chuckle, the shopkeeper placed the bowl in front of him. "There you go."

_THANK YOU GOD!_

He dug into the bowl with barely restrained glee, somehow managing not to send splatters of broth and noodles everywhere. Muffled cries of joy filled in the short silence between gargled smacks and slurping noises. Within seconds, he reached the bottom of the bowl and was happily licking away the last few drops. Sakura stared at him in amazement.

"How long has it been since you've eaten!" she exclaimed. Nodding to the shopkeeper, she waved a hand at Kyuubi, who was trying to gnaw off the glazed finish of the bowl in hopes of scraping more food off it. "A-another order, please."

"Yes ma'am." As he complied, he pulled the bowl away from Kyuubi, who let out a low whine. The man stared at the animal. "That's an...interesting fox you have."

"It's Sasuke-kun's." Smiling reassuringly, she scratched the area behind Kyuubi's ears. He melted into her touch.

_Maybe food can wait a **little** while longer..._ Something akin to a purr rumbled in his chest as he leaned into her palm. The girl giggled.

"He's adorable, isn't he?" She scratched under his chin, making Kyuubi seriously consider asking her to marry him. "Though I wonder how Sasuke-kun found a fox with _nine_ tails!"

Kyuubi felt the girl's hand pause as she made her statement. Opening his eyes, he realized that her green eyes seemed glued to his butt...or, probably more accurately, what could be found there. Sighing lightly, he pulled his chin away.

"I wonder...where he got this?" Reaching forward, the girl attempted to touch a single gold band encircling the tail at the base of his spine. It gleamed as he shifted his tails, covering the ring. She pulled back. "I guess he doesn't want me to touch it..."

Kyuubi refused to meet her eyes. _It's not like I **want** the damn thing._ As he shifted uncomfortably, the ring suddenly gained weight, as if reminding him of its presence. He scowled. _Blasted thing..._

He immediately perked up as a second bowl was placed in front of him. _Oh happy day!_

After having ramen for the first time in at _least_ one hundred and fifty years, everything else could wait.

* * *

His face schooled into an impassive mask, Sasuke pushed open the door to the Hokage's office. The busty blonde woman looked up as he entered, signaling for him to sit down with a grim wave of her hand. 

"Mind telling me what happened last night, Sasuke?" She folded her arms on her desk, frowning at the twenty-one-year-old man in front of her. "We have reports of your brother entering _and_ leaving Konoha."

Sasuke silently ground his teeth, refusing to answer. The woman's face darkened.

"Sasuke. I expect an answer."

"He came. He got away." _Now leave me the fuck alone._

Tsunade sighed heavily, placing a hand at her temple. "Why did he come? Do you know?"

"No." For some reason, Sasuke _really_ didn't want to tell her about Kyuubi. _I guess it's because there's a **chance** that the damn thing will actually be useful._ He kept his expression cold as the Hokage suspiciously looked him over.

"Are you hiding something from me, Sasuke?" She frowned, her expression darkly foreboding. "You know what a serious act that is, especially in matters this important."

The Uchiha simply gave her a cool stare. After a long moment, she sighed and waved her hand at him.

"Fine. You may leave, Sasuke, but I'll expect a report on what occurred during your encounter with your brother."

Sasuke nodded shortly, standing and striding out of the office without another word. As he walked, his thoughts became murderous.

_One way or the other, I WILL destroy you, Aniki!_

* * *

Kyuubi straightened suddenly, lifting his head from the fourth bowl set in front of him. He sniffed at the air, his tails twitching. 

"Kyuubi-chan? What's the matter?"

Mentally cringing at the suffix, the fox leapt down from the stool and took off at a dead run. He ignored the girl's cries as he ran, easily leaping up to the rooftops as he crossed the village. _Where the hell is he?_

Spotting his erstwhile master on the deserted outskirts of the village, Kyuubi took a tremendous running leap, increased his size...

...And landed square in the center of the man's back.

Twitching his tails as he stared down at the back of Sasuke's head—the ninja had been forced to the ground by Kyuubi's weight and momentum, and was currently sprawled rather embarrassingly in the middle of the street—he growled.

"Where the hell have you been? I _told_ you that I'm not supposed to leave your side, and if I hadn't been _starving_ to death, I wouldn't have—"

He stopped speaking when Sasuke launched himself to his feet. Using a bit of his chakra, Kyuubi stuck to the man's back and continued speaking, unheeding of his currently horizontal state.

"Like I was saying, I wouldn't have gone anywhere. Where do you get off, trying to foist me off on some chick?"

The fox could _feel_ the waves of anger pouring off the brunette as the man awkwardly reached back to pull him off. Growing amused, Kyuubi simply side-stepped the man's reaching fingers.

"Having trouble scratching your back?" He laughed when the man froze, then clenched his fists at his sides. "Is that a yes?"

"Get. The fuck. Off my BACK."

Rolling his eyes, Kyuubi calmly climbed onto his shoulder, well aware of the fact that he was the size of a dog again. He smirked.

"Is this better, Sasuke-_sama_?"

The man glared at him, hatred clear in his eyes. "_Must_ you do that? Get the hell off me."

"My, my. _Some_one needs to take an anger management class."

"OFF."

Rolling his eyes again, Kyuubi obediently leapt to the ground. He looked up at the tall man beside him. "Happy now?"

Sasuke chose not to answer, striding ahead purposefully. Kyuubi trotted beside him, glancing up curiously. _Is he **always** in this bad of a mood?_ He heaved a sigh. _Damn Uchihas..._

"Oi. Sasuke."

Both glanced up at the white-haired Jounin standing in a tree branch above him, a bored expression on his face and an orange book in his hand.

"Spar with me," he requested without looking up. Sasuke smirked dryly.

"Why, so I can let go of my frustration regarding my brother?"

"Something like that." He finally glanced down at them, lifting an unseen eyebrow as he spotted the fox at the Uchiha's side. "Since when do you have a pet?"

Sasuke scowled while Kyuubi huffed at the indignity of being called a "pet" for the umpteenth time that day.

"Never mind that." Sparing a mild glare for the fox, he leapt up into the tree beside his former teacher. "Let's go."

Sighing in mild exasperation, Kyuubi followed as the two Jounins leapt through the trees. _Honestly. Doesn't this creep know who I am? Trying to leave me behind like that...what a putz. _He paused in a tree as the two dropped into a training ground.

Straightening, Kakashi held up a bell. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.

"Don't you think I'm a little old for the bell trick?"

The white-haired man smiled. "Not this one. I want you to remove the bell...without my seeing you do it." Obtaining almost identical smirks, the two stepped back from each other. Kakashi lifted his headband, while Sasuke activated his Sharingan.

"All right. Let's begin."

Tails twitching, Kyuubi watched curiously as the two men launched attacks on each other. He felt vaguely impressed by the complicated genjutsu that Sasuke came up with. Not that any of them worked.

At some point, Kakashi spoke up. "Aren't you going to use your little fox, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha scowled. "I'm not going to use that useless rodent in battle!"

Kyuubi bristled. _Useless rodent?_

"Are you sure? You could be underestimating him."

_Useless RODENT?  
_

Sasuke snorted. "Trust me, I'm not underestimating anything."

_I'll show him a fucking USELESS RODENT!_

The two Jounin launched themselves at each other...and froze. Blinking in surprise, they found that not only had their bodies stopped moving, but everything around them—including the wind in the trees—had frozen. A huff of..._something_ went by, and they found themselves able to move again. They stared at each other in confusion.

"What the hell...?" Sasuke began.

_Jingle. Jingle._

Stilling, both Jounins slowly turned to look at the opposite edge of the clearing. There, grinning widely, stood Kyuubi...

...With the bell firmly clenched within his sharp teeth.

Kyuubi began chuckling as the two men stared at him. _Oh yeah, oh yeah._

_Who's useless NOW?_

_

* * *

_**Author's note:**** I'm still getting into the swing of things with this story. It will be a little more plot heavy than the other Naruto-dom stuff I've written, so bear with me, ne? Read and review!**_  
_


	3. Adjustments

**Author's note:** Major props to my darling sister Cecilia for help with plot. Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I'm trying to settle in now that I'm back home. Thanks for the great response so far, and keep it up!

Enjoy.

* * *

Lips curled with amusement, Kyuubi watched as the infuriated Uchiha slammed the front door. Although his hatred for the Uchiha clan was palpable, he couldn't help feeling glad that this one had released him from confinement. None of the others had been _remotely_ as much fun to aggravate. 

"Are we done for the day already?" he questioned innocently, tails swirling. The fox closed his eyes and smiled as his "master" turned around. "We were only out for an hour or so."

Audibly grinding his teeth, the Uchiha stomped over to him. "_You_ are staying _here_ for the rest of the day. _I_ am going back out. Alone."

_Yeesh. How many times is this going to take him to understand?_ "I told you, I have to stay by your side. This isn't exactly negotiable."

Sasuke folded his arms and attempted to glare menacingly at him. Kyuubi smirked. _Kid, I've seen FAR worse._

"If it's not negotiable," the man ground out, "then what's the point of my being your master?"

_If you don't know, I'm sure as hell not going to tell you._ Aware of how easily rumpled the Uchiha was, Kyuubi chuckled and began cleaning his paw. "Not much, I suppose."

"Goddamn useless rodent."

Kyuubi's head snapped up, irritation whirling through him. "Will you _stop_ calling me that?" He scowled when the raven-haired man simply snorted. "I subdued that other ninja before you could, didn't I?"

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke simply gazed down at him. "So you _might_ be useful _sometimes_, but I fail to see the use of stealing a bell from an idiot."

_Why that little..._ "Fine. See if I help_you_ out in any upcoming battles," he grumbled, padding through the kitchen and into the living room. Leaping onto the couch, he curled up, faced away from the Uchiha, and feigned sleep.

The Uchiha quietly approached the living room, though he might as well have been a herd of elephants considering the fox's ears. Kyuubi ignored him.

"I don't _need_ your help," the Uchiha replied in an aggravatingly smug voice. "As far as I'm concerned, you can go straight back into your little box in the basement."

_WHAT?_ Ears perking straight up, Kyuubi lifted his head and fought down a wave of panic. Clearing his throat, he gave the Uchiha a sardonic glance.

"Only an Uchiha would free a genie that he doesn't intend to use," he stated dryly. As if he'd flicked a switch, the Uchiha's expression melted into a frown.

"First off, I didn't _know_ you were a..." His lips curled as if he tasted something unpleasant. "..._Genie_."

Lowering his head to his folded paws, Kyuubi let his ears lower slightly. "That's your own fault, then." He gazed at the man with one blue eye. "What on earth possessed you to release a power you knew absolutely nothing about?"

Sasuke's eyes lowered at that, and the man began to glare at the floor. Kyuubi shifted his tails in curiosity. "Well?"

Scowling, the man looked back up at him. "It's none of your business."

"Whatever." Kyuubi rolled his eyes. _Typical Uchiha._ Closing his eyes, he ignored the man as he ground his teeth for a moment, then turned to storm out of the room. Seconds later, the front door slammed again.

The fox's ears twitched as he listened to his master stomp down the street. Huffing with annoyance, he rose to his feet.

"Goddamn stubborn Uchihas, making me follow them everywhere." He sent a mild glare at the gold band about his tail as it twanged painfully. "I'm going, I'm going. Sheesh."

Dropping to the floor, he marched to the front door. When increasing his size and twisting the knob with his paw yielded nothing, he scowled. _Well, at least it's only **slightly**__against the rules..._ The fox straightened his tails, focused a tendril of chakra at the lock, and smiled when the mechanism sprang open. The demon pranced through the open doorway, knocking the door shut with a tail as he passed.

_Now to find my wayward "master."_

* * *

Perching in a tree on the outskirts of the village, Sasuke took out a scroll and stared blindly at it. Against his will, his mind kept circling back to the little mistake in his living room. _Why the hell was Itachi after it? If the little red rat is so powerful, why hasn't he shown it?_ The raven-haired man frowned. _When I released him, the power he threw at me was...monstrous. _

He absentmindedly rolled the scroll back up, staring off into the lightly waving branches. _Is all that really under my control?_

_Creeeeeak..._

Stilling, the Uchiha listened carefully to the tree behind him. Nothing further presented itself, and the man began to relax. _It must have been my imagin—_

_CREEEEAK..._

Sasuke held his breath as the branch beneath him began to dip with his weight. The straining wood quivered beneath him. Swallowing carefully, he reached out with one hand to grasp a nearby branch.

_SNAP!_

Grunting, Sasuke leapt onto the next branch over and watched as the first plummeted to the ground. He frowned. _That branch wasn't **that** old..._

_SNAP!_

Without warning, the branch he crouched upon freed itself from the tree as well. Blessing his skills, he glued himself sideways upon the trunk. Red Sharingan eyes followed the tumbling branch, narrowing when it smashed into hundreds of pieces as it met the distant forest floor. Scowling, Sasuke scanned the trees around him.

_Is someone doing this deliberately?_

Sasuke didn't have time to react before a limb above him broke incompletely, swinging down and tangling with a lower branch as it pinned him to the trunk. Growling with frustration, Sasuke pushed at the limb in vain, but he froze when the trunk itself began to move.

_You're kidding me..._

Despite mental assertions to the contrary, the Uchiha felt the base of the tremendous tree give way. Red eyes flew wide as the ground leapt up at him. _Dammit!_ Grunting, he shoved at the tree limb pinning him, only to have it refuse to budge an inch. He held his breath as the tree toppled, pushing desperately only moments before he made contact.

The branch gave.

With a shout, Sasuke threw himself away from the tree and rolled as he hit the ground. The colossal plant landed with a heavy clap of thunder, kicking up a cloud of dirt and splintered wood. Sasuke stared at the toppled tree for a moment before rolling to his feet and slipping a kunai into his hand.

_If that branch hadn't given out, I would've been crushed!_ Scowling, Sasuke resumed his scan of the forest._If someone's out to kill me, then—_

"MAAAAAASTEEEEEEEER!"

The Uchiha cringed instinctively at the squeal. Before he had time to turn around, a solid weight barreled into his back, knocking him heavily to the ground. Snarling, he rolled over and glared at the fox that shifted to remain atop him.

"What the _hell_ are you _doing_?"

Sasuke did _not_ appreciate the sunny smile the fox beamed down upon him. Nine tails batted playfully at his legs.

"Why, I'm simply showering my erstwhile master with affection. Isn't that allowed?" Kyuubi's words couldn't have been more sugary sweet if he _tried_. Sasuke didn't buy it for a minute.

"Bullshit. You're just doing this to piss me off."

"Awww." The fox gave him a pair of gooey blue eyes. "You're so cute when you're mad."

"GET OFF!"

"Ooo, I didn't know you were into that sort of thing." Kyuubi's wriggling eyebrows turned Sasuke's stomach. Wincing, he pushed the red rat off his stomach.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"You just did."

Sasuke scowled. "Shut up." Rising to his feet, he brushed irritably at his clothes and glared at the fallen tree before him. Glaring at the overly innocent-looking fox, he jabbed a finger at the tree. "Since you claim you're useful, did you see anyone in the forest who could have done this?"

Kyuubi blinked at him, then at the tree. "No..." After a moment, the fox gave him a strange look. "You're telling me that you were _on_ that thing when it fell? You must be heavier than you look."

"Ha. Ha." Folding his arms, Sasuke glowered at the tree. _That couldn't have happened by accident. Someone had to have caused it._ "So you really are useless."

The fox heaved a weary sigh. "What, exactly, do you want me to _do?_ I can't exactly be use_ful_ if you don't give me anything to _do._"

_True._ Sasuke frowned lightly at Kyuubi, pondering the demon's words. It suddenly occurred to him that his brother must have wanted to free him for a specific purpose. If he could figure out what that was...

"Tell me," he commanded, "what do you think my brother wanted with you?"

Kyuubi tilted his head to the side, lifting an eyebrow. "Your brother?"

"Itachi." The Uchiha waited as the silence between them stretched. "Well?"

Blinking rapidly, the fox's eyebrows shot up. "You mean you actually think that I _know_ who your siblings are? Sweetcakes, I've been locked up in that box for one hundred and fifty years. Do you _really_ think I'm going to be up-to-date on your miserable family?"

_Or lack thereof._ "If you know how long you've been locked away, you had to have _some_ idea of what's going on in the outside world," he pointed out irritably.

Kyuubi fell silent for a long moment. "Well..." he replied slowly. "I _did_ notice that the number of you dropped drastically rather recently..."

Snorting despite himself, Sasuke turned away. "Not that recently." _Thirteen years..._

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a demon. Our senses of time are a little different," Kyuubi replied dryly.

"You still haven't answered my question," Sasuke realized abruptly. He glared at the fox. "What was he planning to do with you?"

"I don't know."

_Wait...he answers things literally._ "Do you have an _idea_ of what he was going to do?"

Eyes glancing away, the fox shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe." Kyuubi looked unsettled by the smug smile that Sasuke let grace his lips.

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?" The fox affected an innocent look. Sasuke shook his head.

"Tell me what you think Itachi was going to use you for."

Frowning uncertainly, Kyuubi gazed up at him. "Well...it could be any number of things, really..."

Growing impatient, Sasuke began tapping his foot. "Like?"

"Well...he might have just wanted me for a familiar."

Instead of pressing for more information when the demon fell silent, Sasuke lifted an eyebrow and waited. Kyuubi simply pressed his oddly expressive lips together. After a mild staring contest, Sasuke frowned.

"And? What else?"

An innocent blink.

"Dammit, do you _have_ to be this annoying?" Sasuke finally snapped. Kyuubi smiled.

"Of course. It's in the job description."

"Oh? What _else_ is in the job description?" he challenged. The fox hesitated for a brief moment.

"Why, serving your glorious self as well as my humble self is able," the demon replied in a sugary tone. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.

"Is that so..." _If he's telling the truth, then..._ "So, in other words, you have to do whatever I tell you?"

"I wouldn't say _that_," the fox grumbled. A sense of triumph surging through him, Sasuke smirked.

"So if I told you to sit on your head for three hours, would you do it?"

Scowling, the fox turned his back on Sasuke. "No, I wouldn't."

The Uchiha frowned. "But—"

"Shh!" Stilling abruptly, the fox stared into the darkened forest. Sasuke frowned at the dumb rat's back as it tensed. _If he thinks he's going to play me for a fool, he's got another—_

"Someone's coming," Kyuubi stated softly, hunching his back. His tails began swishing furiously. "We should leave."

When a feeling of dread stole over him, Sasuke shook his head. "It's probably just someone from the vill—"

"It's not. We need to leave. Now." The fox turned around, eyes burning red. "It's not safe here."

_What the..._ Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke stared into the depths of the forest. He search brought up nothing, but the same sense of dread swept over him again. Nodding sharply, he turned and raced back towards the heart of the village. With each step he took, Kyuubi glanced warily behind them. A calm wind blew towards them, carrying the faint scent of powder._Explosives?_

Grimly, Sasuke turned to head towards the Hokage Tower. _This can't be good._

* * *

With a graceful landing upon the Hokage's window ledge, Sasuke rapped his knuckles upon the cool glass. Tsunade glanced up at him in surprise, rising to meet him. As she opened the broad window, she gave him a thoughtful frown. 

"Sasuke? I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"I think there's an attack coming," Sasuke stated shortly. Tsunade ushered him in with a sharp wave of her hand, closing the window after his fox—_the_ fox, not _his_ fox—leapt inside the room behind him. "I smelled powder while in the forests on the north end of the village, and Kyuubi seemed to sense an enemy."

Ebony eyes glanced down at the rodent to see if he would react to the statement, but Kyuubi simply swished his tails and stared at the floor. After a moment, Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Do you know where they were from?" When Sasuke shook his head, she ran a finger over her lips. "I'll send out a patrol."

The Jounin nodded sharply. "Will I be on it?"

Tsunade gave him a thoughtful perusal before answering. "You'll go out with the night group. Get ready."

Bowing his head, Sasuke excused himself. The raven-haired man opened the window, scowled when Kyuubi jostled him as he leapt past, and slipped out into the dwindling daylight. As he sped away, he failed to notice the analyzing brown eyes that followed him.

* * *

Silence hovered in the darkened hallway, powerful enough to smother the quiet footsteps of Uchiha Itachi as he strode down it. Adjusting the collar of his Akatsuki cloak, he paused before a pair of large, silver doors. He waited without knocking. 

_**Enter.**_

At the unspoken command, Itachi tugged the heavy door open and stepped through. Several shrouded faces turned towards him expectantly.

"Well? Did he release the demon?" His partner approached him, shark-like teeth glinting in the darkness. Itachi gave him a faint smirk.

"Of course." Unseen beneath his cloak, Itachi's hand pressed just below his heart. A tiny spark burned there, flooding his fingertips with heat. His lips twitched lightly—the burn had been incredible when the fox was released. In all honesty, he was surprised that his brother survived it. "I all but led him to it."

Kisame nodded eagerly, letting out a soft chuckle. "Your little brother does tend to go wherever you point him, hmm?"

The older Uchiha resisted the odd urge to glare and settled for a flat stare instead. "We should be glad that he's so...useful." _For once._

"Mm. The others will be happy to hear that."

Lapsing into silence, the two missing ninjas gazed at the other Akatsuki members. After a moment, one of the other ninjas spoke.

"There is movement upon Konoha," Zetsu stated, his head slowly appearing from behind his Venus flytrap appendages.

Itachi frowned. "Whose?"

Silence. Zetsu's flytrap closed briefly, then reopened. "It appears to be...Sound."

_Sound? What the hell is Orochimaru doing?_ At the sharp glances from his comrades, Itachi bowed his head.

"I'll look into it." Turning, he swept out of the darkened room. The silver door silently swung shut behind him.

_Orochimaru... You have no reason to attack Konoha now. What the hell are you doing?_ Placing his hand back over that tiny spot of warmth, Itachi frowned.

_This isn't according to plan._

* * *

Kyuubi decided that even if he didn't particularly _like_ Sasuke, he could definitely deal with being his genie. The boy didn't pester him with non-stop wishes, didn't force him to bow and scrape before him, and best of all, had _no idea_ what he was dealing with. Grinning, the fox watched as his idiotic master warmed up before his patrol. 

_It doesn't hurt that he's fun to play with, either._

When Sasuke bent to his side, stretching an arm up over his head, Kyuubi decided, on impulse, to turn into a black cat with the Uchiha symbol on his chest. He mimicked his master's movements, sticking his tongue out comically.

Sasuke glanced at him, causing Kyuubi to "poof" back into his fox shape while blinking innocently. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, but he went back to stretching. Kyuubi turned back into a cat.

Mimic. Glance. Innocent smile.

Mimic. Glare. Light whistling.

Mimic. Snarl. Playing with tail number eight.

"All right, that does it!" Scowling, Sasuke strode over to him and folded his arms. Kyuubi batted his eyes at him.

"What's the matter, darling?" _Ooo, he's cute when he glares like that._ "Aren't you going to get ready for our big night?"

"I know you're making fun of me behind my back," the Uchiha ground out. Amused, Kyuubi simply grinned at him. "I want you to stop it."

Gasping in mock outrage, Kyuubi placed an offended paw against his chest. "Why, whatever are you talking about? I would _never_ do such a disrespectful thing!"

Sasuke scowled. "Just _stop it_." He paused. "And it's not _our_ night out. You're not—"

"Don't start that 'you're not coming with me' stuff again. We've been _over_ that."

Folding his arms, Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "And if I order you not to come?"

"Ooo, kinky." The fox laughed as Sasuke's expression turned sour. "I'll find another way around it."

The Uchiha glanced away with his dark eyes, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Eventually, he glanced up. "I don't want you to follow me as a fox. The last thing I need is for people to think I've gone soft and bought a _pet_." A soft smirk graced his mouth. "So, unless you can think of some way to accompany me while _not_ some mindless animal, you're staying here."

At that, Kyuubi blinked rapidly. _That's the best he can come up with?_ He watched as Sasuke mistook his silence for defeat, the boy turning away with a smug smile. Lifting an eyebrow, Kyuubi followed when Sasuke strode towards the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower before _I_ head out tonight." Turning around, he pointed a finger at the fox. "Sit." Kyuubi sat. "Stay." Kyuubi scowled. "Good boy."

As the door closed, Kyuubi's scowl melted into a mischievous grin.

_I'll show you a "good boy."_

* * *

Humming lightly as he stepped into the shower, Sasuke smirked to himself. _Serves him right, the stupid fox._ He grabbed his soap, staring into space as he thought. _Though I suppose if I wanted to, I could simply wish for the enemy to disappear. _The Uchiha frowned. _No. If I do that, whoever sent them will only send more troops, and we won't have any idea where they're from._

Stepping into the spray, he rinsed off the suds on his chest. _I guess I could just wish to know where they're from... No. That dumb fox will probably stuff my mind full of each ninja's personal background instead._ He pursed his lips, then shrugged. _It can't be helped, I guess._ Sasuke continued to wash himself, lost in thought.

The door opened.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke ignored the fox as it padded into the bathroom and paused beside him. After a moment, he felt Kyuubi's presence shift behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as Kyuubi breathed on them. Sighing, Sasuke set down his soap and turned to face the fox on the wall.

"Honestly, if you can't even follow a simple or—"

He froze as his eyes fell upon the person behind him. The tall, grinning, blond _human_ behind him.

"Aagh!" Leaping backwards, Sasuke tripped over the edge of the bathtub and fell. His hand grabbed the shower curtain as he tumbled, ripping it off its rungs and dragging it down upon him. Grunting as he landed on his back, Sasuke scrambled backwards. _Shit shit shit! I don't have a kunai! How the hell did this guy get into my bathroom?_

Tilting his head to the side, the blond man peered down at him. "Problem, Sasuke?"

_...And where the hell is Kyuu—_ The Uchiha froze, staring up into the other man's very _familiar_ blue eyes.

"K...Kyuubi?" Sasuke scowled at the heat that flooded his cheeks as the blond grinned at him. "How the hell...?"

Chuckling, the fox-man perched on the rim of the tub and squatted. "You said I could accompany you if I weren't an animal. Should I assume that 'human' fits the bill?"

Sasuke meant to reply to that, he really did, but somehow his eyes latched onto the area below Kyuubi's rather naked waist.

Well. No arguments that the fox wasn't a male, at any rate. Scowling uncomfortably, Sasuke shifted further away from Kyuubi. The fox followed, leaping down from the side of the tub to squat over the Uchiha's stomach. Tan arms folded over his knees, Kyuubi chuckled down at him.

"I'll take your silence as a yes, Sasuke-sama." Normally, Sasuke would get ruffled by the amused tone in the fox's voice, but goddammit, the man's penis was practically dangling right in front of him. Didn't the bastard have any shame? Closing his eyes, Sasuke turned his face away.

"For god's sake, cover yourself," he snapped out. Kyuubi made a noise in the back of his throat.

"What are you talking about?" Confused. Why the hell was the rat confused?

"I _said_ to cover yourself! I do _not_ need to see your dick at close range, thank you very much."

Sasuke released a light breath of relief as the man stepped away from him. When he heard a towel rustle as it was removed from the rack, he braved opening his eyes again. Kyuubi stood with his hands upon his thankfully toweled hips, smiling sardonically at the Uchiha.

"You know, you didn't have to _stare_ at my dick," he stated, sounding vastly amused. "For someone who didn't want to see it, you sure took a goooooooood look."

Sasuke scowled viciously, rising to his feet and wincing as his abused tailbone protested the movement. Reaching over, he shut off the shower. "Shut up. When that thing is practically inches from my nose, where else _can_ I look?"

"I dunno. The ceiling, perhaps?" Grinning, Kyuubi folded his arms over his chest. "Tell me, did you like what you saw?"

The glare Sasuke sent him should have leveled a mountain. Instead, it only made the fox's grin wider.

"_No_, I did _not_ like what I saw," Sasuke spat acidly. As the blond's grin dimmed a bit, Sasuke strode over to the towel rack and began huffily drying himself off. "And for future notice, don't _ever_ come in here while I'm showering."

Rolling his eyes, Kyuubi ran a hand through his golden hair. "Yeah, yeah. Spare the fragile Uchiha from my sordid ways, I get it."

"And _stop_ mocking me!" Sasuke ground his teeth when the fox simply lifted an eyebrow at him. "Dammit..."

Frustrated, the Uchiha wrapped his towel about his waist and stormed out of the bathroom. Kyuubi followed close at his heels, only serving to aggravate the Uchiha further. Growling, the slender man spun on his heel and glared at the blue-eyed man behind him. The fact that the blond was the same height as him didn't pacify him in the least, especially when the fox had given himself far broader shoulders and the thick muscles Sasuke had tried in vain to gain his whole life. Cursing his slim build, Sasuke jabbed a finger at the fox.

"Stop _following_ me!"

"Oh, but Sasuke-dearest, I'm afraid I have—"

"Goddammit, I wish you would leave me the hell ALONE for a single FUCKING MINUTE!" he finally shouted, anger reaching a peak.

With a surprised blink and a _zap_, the fox disappeared.

_What the..._ Glancing around, Sasuke realized that the blond man was nowhere to be found. The Uchiha frowned. _Is he really gone?_ He walked quickly into his bedroom, pulling out his uniform while glancing periodically over his shoulder. Nothing. Inwardly sighing with relief, the brunet slipped into his pants and tied the belt. _Finally, a few moments of sil—_

His thoughts halted when an abnormally warm hand slipped down his pants and squeezed his ass. Yelping, Sasuke spun around and slugged the man behind him.

"What the FUCK are you doing?" Face red, Sasuke glared furiously at the blond, who was nursing his left cheek with a wince. "You...you..."

"Jeez, you didn't have to hit me!" Kyuubi whined. He glowered at the Uchiha, lowering his hand from the fading bruise. "You hurt your ass when you fell out of the shower, didn't you?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, it doesn't hurt any_more_, does it?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but he closed it with a click. The damn fox was right. Frowning, the Uchiha turned back to his dresser and tugged out a black shirt.

"You could have _warned_ me," he grouched. Behind him, Kyuubi sighed.

"And spare you the discomfort? Never." With an audible creak, the blond flopped onto Sasuke's bed. "Besides, you might as well relax. Just because I look like a human doesn't mean I have designs on you."

Sasuke's shoulders tensed for a moment, then relaxed as he pulled the shirt down over his head. "Good. Keep it that way."

"Yes, master," came the sarcastic reply.

Scowling, Sasuke turned around to glare at the man sprawled on his bed. "Tell me, when you vanished, why didn't you _stay away?_"

"Touchy, aren't you?" Rolling his eyes, Kyuubi waved a hand at him. "You only asked for me to leave you alone for a minute."

"Fine. I wish you would leave me alone _for good!_"

When nothing happened, Sasuke folded his arms over his chest. "Well?"

Kyuubi looked distinctly uncomfortable, his right hand moving to cover the gold band on his left ring finger.

"I can't grant that one," he replied eventually, wincing. "It's against the rules." After a moment, the blond relaxed and sighed, closing his eyes. "Why are you in such a rush to get rid of me, anyway? Most people would be thrilled to find out that they have a genie at their beck and call."

"You're not a genie, you're a pain in the ass. Why _wouldn't_ I want to get rid of you?"

Oddly enough, Kyuubi winced again. Sitting up, the fox cradled his left hand in his right and sighed.

"Fine. What do you want from me, Sasuke...sama?"

_Weird. Why does he look like he's in pain?_ "I want you to stop being such a pain in the ass all the time."

Another sigh. "All right, all right." The fox sounded strangely weary. "Anything else?"

Sasuke paused, looking the man over. "I want you to get dressed."

With a _poof_, a uniform identical to Sasuke's appeared on Kyuubi's frame. Eyebrows furrowed, the fox began to glare at the ground.

"Anything _else?_"

Smirking slowly, Sasuke strode over to him. Placing one hand on the fox's chin, he tipped Kyuubi's head up to look at him. The Uchiha lifted an eyebrow at the red eyes that greeted him.

"I want you to stay. Here."

Kyuubi's eyes flashed, but after a short moment, the fox nodded. Smug, Sasuke straightened. "I'm glad we've reached an understanding." Striding back to his dresser, he picked up his Jounin's vest and slid it on, followed shortly by his hitai-ate. "I expect to see you still here after I finish my rounds."

"Oh, you will."

The Uchiha caught the odd tone in Kyuubi's voice and hesitated, glancing back at him. The fox wasn't looking at him, twisting the band on his finger. Shaking his head, Sasuke left the room.

As the front door closed, a pair of angry red eyes glared out behind a fringe of long blonde hair. _After you, Sasuke-sama._

With a crackle of energy, Kyuubi disappeared.


	4. What's in a Name?

**Author's note: No, I didn't abandon this fic, and I don't plan to. I'm really sorry about the horrendous wait, but this summer...has not been nice, to say the least. I've had some serious financial issues on my mind for most of it, so I wasn't really in the mood for writing. I'm sorry!**

** As a small, mostly unrelated side-note, anything canon that I write from this point will be AU as of the three-year break. With very few exceptions, the rest of the Naruto series (animated and written) is pretty much dead to me for a lot of reasons. Still, the plot bunnies never leave me alone, so you'll see me in this fandom for quite some time yet. Lol.**

** That said, Enjoy.**

**disclaimer: Don't own, nono. (wibble) **

* * *

Stealing silently along the darkened streets, Sasuke raced towards his team's meeting point. Several other Jounin rested against the outer wall of the city, looking solemn as they watched the tremendous gate. The Uchiha nodded shortly as he came to a stop beside them. 

"What is there to report?" he asked gruffly. Rock Lee straightened from the wall, visibly restraining himself from launching into a set of nervous pacing.

"The first patrol managed to catch one of the intruders, but..." The man lowered his great eyebrows, frowning. "Not only have they been unable to catch the others, but the first also managed to give himself cardiac arrest before they could get any information out of him."

Eyes narrowing, Sasuke glanced up at the shadowed heights of the wall. "Why haven't they attacked the city outright? What are they waiting for?"

"Nightfall?" Kiba suggested in a flat tone, running a hand along the tremendous dog head at his side. Akamaru growled lightly. "Sound always was best at night stealth. Since they almost got caught in broad daylight, they might be taking their time."

"Hmm." Shifting his weight, Sasuke glanced at the darkened sky as the last vestiges of twilight disappeared. _Marvelous._ Unbidden, a hand rose to the old scar on his neck. He would never forget that encounter with Orochimaru so many years ago, nor would he ever fully forgive himself for his mistake. With a slight shudder, he fought down the remembered sensation of fangs ripping into his shoulder, bleeding his chakra from him with the intent to kill...

"Let's go." Neji's calm voice startled Sasuke out of his thoughts, and the pale Uchiha lowered his arm. With a wordless agreement from their four-man-one-dog group, they disappeared into the night air.

* * *

Silence was his element. Golden eyes gleaming in the moonlight, the Sound ninja shifted atop a thick branch. His mouth gaped and puffed like a fish, swallowing the slight noises that his comrades made as they halted beside him. When one idiot actually slipped, a second mouth appeared on his left arm and gnawed at the air. The Sound ninja glared at his comrade. 

"_Could you be any more careless?"_ he mouthed irritably. His comrade simply rolled his fluorescent pink eyes, shrugging his long violet hair to the side. When the first Sound ninja scowled, a high-pitched voice sighed in his head.

"_Relax, Kuchi. No harm done." _The young, lavender-haired ninja grinned, revealing a series of abnormally sharp teeth. "_These Konoha ninjas wouldn't sense us if we bit them in the ass."_

Kuchi scowled. "_Thinking that way will get us killed, Koe."_

Sobering, Koe gave him a sharp nod at the reminder of their fallen comrade. Satisfied that the idiotic youngster would behave, Kuchi sealed the mouth on his arm. Both ninjas stared into the waving trees. After a moment, another member of their party with white hair twitched.

"They approach," he stated softly, allowing his words to be swallowed by the ever-vigilant Kuchi. Nodding, the others shifted into position. Kuchi gave a short smile, unnaturally golden eyes glinting.

_Attack Konoha..._ His lips moved silently, delivering the message internally. _Attack. Attack at all costs._

Opening three new mouths upon his mostly bared torso, he sucked in a large breath.

_Attack..._

* * *

Sasuke's breath felt abnormally loud in the night air as their group traveled through the trees on the outskirts of the village. He paused briefly upon one branch, absorbing the impact of his jump with one leg as he quickly swept the area with his Sharingan. Seeing nothing, he pushed off the branch and continued making his way through the forest. 

When Kiba briefly caught his eye with a questioning gaze, Sasuke shook his head. The dog-lover's lips tightened. Beckoning to Akamaru, Kiba pulled a little ahead of the group. Sasuke fell to the right, Lee to the left, and Neji dropped back to form a diamond. Aside from the light shifting of branches in the wind, nothing in the forest stood—

A wave of scorching heat shot through Sasuke's body. Before the Uchiha knew what he was doing, he sent a kunai sailing into the trees ahead. As he watched his kunai disappear, Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. _What the hell just happened here? I never meant to throw that..._

His thoughts trailed to a stop as a dull, wet thud shot through the forest. Gasping, Kiba drew to a stop.

"Blood!"

The other three men barely had a chance to stop before three Sound ninjas burst out of the darkness. With a strange howl, a ninja with violet hair launched himself at Kiba. The spiky-haired ninja lifted an arm to protect himself, calling Akamaru to him with his free hand. The large white dog leapt upon Kiba's shoulder and sprang towards the Sound ninja, growling as he snapped at the man's shoulder. Twisting away, the ninja landed upon a nearby tree, opened his mouth...and let out an ear-piercing wail.

Ignoring the pain to his own ears, Sasuke attempted to rush to Kiba's side as the man crumpled, hands over his ears. Blood began to seep through his fingers.

Just before Sasuke reached the man's side, a flash of chakra behind him caused him to spin about. A hand cloaked in black chakra shot past him, missing his side by inches. Grunting, Sasuke freed a blade along his sleeve and slashed at his attacker. The man fell back, golden eyes glinting in the moonlight. The Uchiha's lips thinned.

_Kiba!_ Glancing through the corner of his eyes, Sasuke saw Lee stand guard over the fallen man, launching attacks at the intermittently shrieking and giggling Sound ninja. Checking his left, Neji seemed preoccupied with a white-haired ninja. Sasuke frowned, returning his gaze to the man in front of him. The ninja smiled.

"Looking for your kunai?" the man whispered. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed briefly, but they snapped open when his Sharingan flashed the ninja's forward movement seconds before the man attacked. Flipping backwards out of the way, Sasuke landed one hand on a branch, reached the other into his pack, and threw an explosive at the man before pushing backwards onto another branch. Strangely, the Sound ninja didn't dodge the explosive. Instead, the man raced towards it, placing his chest directly into the explosive's path.

Eyebrows furrowing, Sasuke scanned the area for a possible clone. _If he's willing to sacrifice himself, then there must be—_

His thoughts trailed off as the skin on the man's chest parted before the explosive. False teeth glinting, the pseudo-mouth snapped shut around the bomb. The ninja smiled.

_...This just got a lot harder..._ Scowling, Sasuke fell back to give himself more reaction time should the man attack. _Ok, so projectiles are out._

As the ninja raced towards him, Sasuke focused his chakra. He felt a familiar heat froth upon his tongue, puffing his cheeks out. Narrowing his eyes, he waited until the ninja was directly in front of him.

_Fwooom!_

Sasuke shot a fireball point-blank at the ninja, allowing a brief surge of triumph to shoot through him as the ninja cried out.

A second wave of that bizarre heat shot through him, forcing him to leap to his right. As he did, he caught the glint of a kunai—_his_ kunai—racing past his left cheek. _What the hell?_ Regaining his balance, Sasuke focused on the man's chakra. His eyes widened slightly as it shifted, parting at the ninja's collar to regurgitate Sasuke's explosive. With a crazed glint in his eye, the Sound ninja "spat" the bomb at the Uchiha.

Sasuke began to dodge when his feet abruptly burned as though lit on fire. With his upper body moving backwards, Sasuke felt his feet shift...

...And a kunai sailed harmlessly between his spread legs from behind as the bomb flew past him overhead.

Glaring, Sasuke glanced back to see Neji strike at the white-haired ninja as a hand slid back into the man's shoulder. _Dammit._ Using his odd position, Sasuke placed his hands over his head upon the branch and flipped backwards. Briefly, Sasuke wondered at the bursts of heat that seemed to be controlling him, but seeing as the phenomenon wasn't actively trying to _kill_ him—yet—he decided to deal with that in its own time. He sank into a crouch, attempting to lock eyes with the ninja in front of him. Sasuke wasn't a master of Mangekyou yet, but the level he _could_ manage should be enough to take this ninja out of commission.

As the other ninja approached, Sasuke locked eyes and smirked, throwing his energy across the small gap between them. The ninja's pupils widened, allowing Sasuke to draw the man into an illusion. He cast them into a barren desert, chaining the man to a pillar and lifting a sword to plunge into the man's heart.

_Sasuke!_

Gasping, Sasuke found himself wrenched out of the illusion as his body was shoved forward. An arm came up around his waist, pulling him back against a solid body. Reflexively, Sasuke slashed backwards with the short blade from his sleeve. The man behind him grunted as it sank into his side.

"Fine thanks I get for saving your life," the man growled into his ear. Sasuke stiffened.

_Kyuubi?_ Scowling, the Uchiha glanced at the man behind him. _What the hell is HE doing he—_

Sasuke's thoughts paused as the blond grunted several more times, shifting as he took impacts upon his back. Eyebrows furrowing, Sasuke pushed away from him, intent on returning to the battle before him. The Sound ninja grinned at him...and grinned again, and again, and again. Mouths appeared all over the man's bared torso, baring their teeth at him. A swell of chakra pressed at Sasuke's senses.

_Shit._

Before the Uchiha could shift out of the way, the Sound ninja appeared to "inhale." Wind soundlessly raced towards the slim man, pulling Sasuke with it. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke placed both hands in front of him, channeled his chakra, and waited as he was drawn towards the ninja. As he approached, the mouths depths darkened, and shadows spilled out of the numerous lips to wrap about Sasuke's limbs. The spots where the shadows touched grew cold, then numb.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sasuke fought off the paralyzing numbness. He scowled, pressed forward with his senseless hands, and locked eyes with his opponent as his fingers flattened upon the man's chest. The ninja smiled at him as darkness began to swallow the Uchiha's vision.

In return, Sasuke smirked. _Moron._

"CHIDORI!"

The darkness flew from Sasuke's vision as his opponent screamed, blue chakra tearing through him and flinging him backwards against a tree. Smirking, Sasuke dropped into a crouch on the branch the Sound ninja had previously occupied. After a moment, a warm presence landed behind him.

"Huh. That wasn't half bad, Uchiha."

Sasuke immediately scowled, spinning about to glare at the blond man behind him. Kyuubi gazed at him with humorless red eyes.

"I gave you a direct order to stay home," the brunet hissed angrily. "_Why_ are you _here?_"

"Because you're no good to me if you're dead," Kyuubi replied shortly. "I came to watch your back."

"I don't _need_ you to watch my back!" Scowl deepening, Sasuke glared over his shoulder at the twitching Sound ninja he'd attacked. Turning back, he jabbed a finger into Kyuubi's chest. "Don't move."

As he turned to face the Sound ninja, Kyuubi spoke. "Don't you want me to help your friends?"

Pausing, Sasuke glanced back at him. Kyuubi's eyes—now blue—were resting upon the fallen Kiba. Lee was managing to subdue the violet-haired ninja, but the dog-lover was growing pale. Frowning, Sasuke returned his gaze to the fox.

"Fine. Go help Ki—" Kyuubi was by the other man's side before Sasuke could finish his statement. "...ba."

Eyebrows furrowed, Sasuke reluctantly refocused his attention upon his opponent. The Jounin leapt to the ninja's side, kunai at the ready. Schooling his face into an impassive expression, he leaned down over the twitching man.

"Why are you attacking us?" he demanded. Coughing up blood, the ninja's wild golden eyes locked upon him.

"We had to," he whispered. A maniacal grin lit his face. "Attack Konoha. Attack..._attack Konoha!_"

Sasuke frowned, watching as the life began to fade from the man's eyes. "_Why_ did you have to attack us?" he pressed. "_Why?_"

Choking, the man paused. His eyes grew confused as they shifted to stare up at the night sky.

"You know...I don't know." The Sound ninja gently shook his head. "I don't know."

Head tipping to the side, the ninja stopped breathing. Sasuke's frown deepened as he stared at the lifeless body before him. With a sigh, he straightened and turned away, ready to help his comrades.

As the Uchiha moved away, two wisps of golden chakra lifted from the dead man's unseeing eyes, returning them to their natural brown color.

* * *

Lips pursed in concentration, Kyuubi ran his hands soothingly over the fallen ninja's ears. Warm healing chakra funneled out of his fingertips, stealing into Kiba's ears and repairing the wounds within. Beneath him, the man sighed. 

_Well, at least he's still breathing._ Kyuubi allowed himself a light frown as he glanced away from the man to peer at the white dog beside him. Although the canine was in a similar state, he couldn't be sure the dog would accept his chakra. After all, if his instincts were telling him to let the dog die a horrible death—as a fox, he'd never been fond of dogs, since things _always_ went wrong when they were around—then the dog's instincts would probably recoil at the idea of receiving help from him. Kyuubi sighed.

_The things I do for this job..._ Grumbling lightly under his breath, he finished healing the human and made his way over to the dog, squatting uncertainly at its side. Akamaru whined lightly as Kyuubi pressed his hands upon his ears, but made no other movements as far as Kyuubi could tell. Scowling at the part of his mind that told him to wrap his fingers about the dog's neck and squeeze, Kyuubi set to healing the canine's ears.

After a moment, the dog's eyes snapped open.

"WOOFWOOFWOOFWOOFWOOF!" Rolling away, the large dog snapped at Kyuubi's quickly withdrawn hands. Akamaru growled viciously, causing Kyuubi to roll his eyes.

"Get over yourself, mutt. I'm not exactly _fond_ of you either." Folding his arms over his chest, he sent a mocking growl back at the incensed pooch. "Just be glad I'm not here for _myself_, or I'd be grilling doggie treats right about now."

As the dog's growling intensified, Kyuubi glanced up at the battle above him. The leprechaun landed a powerful kick upon the Purple Princess's chest, sending her—er, _him_—down to the ground with a heavy thud. Her—_his_—Highness didn't move. Smirking lightly, Kyuubi watched as the last Sound ninja, aware that he was alone against so many Konoha Jounins, abruptly surrendered.

_Well, well, well. Looks like Konoha's doing well for itself nowadays._ He absentmindedly moved to the side as Kiba stirred beside him.Tilting his head, he watched Sasuke and Tall, Long-haired and Gorgeous bind the Sound ninja. Kyuubi let his mind wander at the thought of bondage. _Judging by scent, I'd assume TLG is a Hyuuga. I wonder if I can convince Sasuke to let me have a go with him._ He flashed a feral grin. _It'd be fun to fool around with someone from the Clan of Pervy Eyes._

"Uhhhhn... Huh? Who the hell are you?"

Jolting, Kyuubi found his thoughts brought back to Earth. He blinked down at Kiba, who, in turn, blinked right back at him. The dog-lover frowned.

"Who the hell are you?" he repeated. "You're not from Konoha."

Kyuubi shifted uncomfortably as the other ninjas abruptly took notice of him. _Shit. Now what?_ Clearing his throat, he placed a hand behind his head.

"Ah, no, I'm not." His blue eyes lit upon his master, who was watching him with blatant irritation. Kyuubi grinned and pointed. "I'm actually with Sasuke."

The fox laughed inwardly at the venom in the Uchiha's gaze as his partners looked to him for confirmation. Visibly grinding his teeth, Sasuke nodded shortly.

"Yeah, I know him." _Oooo-hoo-hoo, he sounds **mad**._

The leprechaun looked at Kyuubi with interest. "What's his name?"

Smirking, the fox opened his mouth to reply.

"My name is—"

"—Uzumaki." Kyuubi's jaw clicked shut as Sasuke ran a thoughtful hand over his chin, gazing down at him with a challenging gleam in his eye. Kyuubi glared back at him, a frown appearing on his lips as the other ninjas turned back to him in confusion.

"Uzumaki what?" Kiba questioned. Eyebrows furrowing, Kyuubi thought quickly.

_Ok, spiral. Something that goes with spiral...swirls...not ice cream...RAMEN!_

"Naruto!" he blurted.

Silence followed his outburst.

A few moments later, embarrassment slapped him upside the head with a two-by-four.

_WHAT THE HELL KIND OF STUPID NAME IS **THAT? **"SPIRAL FISHCAKE"?_ He winced mentally. _Briiiiiilliant work, Kyuubi._

"So...Naruto," Kiba started, slowly rising to his feet. The blond automatically reached out to clasp his elbow, helping him regain his balance. "Where are you from? How do you know Sasuke?"

"Naruto" glared at his visibly amused master before replying. "I'm his cousin." Blinking, he turned his gaze to the puzzled man before him. "Eighth cousin, actually. My family lived in a small village not too far from here."

TLG made a low noise in his throat. Kyuubi fought to keep from happily growling at him. "You don't look very...alike."

Shaking his head lightly, Kyuubi placed a hand upon his sleeve. "Our common ancestor left the clan in disgrace. He married into the Uzumaki family, and, well, the Uchiha genes kind of dimmed over the generations. We're very proud of that heritage, though."

When they still looked suspicious, he sighed mentally and rolled up his sleeve. There, branded onto his shoulder, lay the symbol of the Uchiha clan. Kyuubi fought down a scowl at its presence, tamping down the hate that flowed through him. Collecting himself, he forced a sad glint into his eyes.

"Unfortunately, our village was not very well protected. It lay at the base of a mountain, and when the rainy season came early one year..." He tipped his head forward, letting his blond hair shield his eyes from view. "My entire village was destroyed. My family was...gone...in a heartbeat."

Choking down a sob, he brushed the back of his hand over his eyes. "I knew...I knew that if I could just find the Uchiha family, I could find a new place to call home, but when I got here..." Kyuubi lifted his gaze, giving the ninjas a full view of his woebegone expression. "Poor Sasuke-kun had lost his family, too. We were all that was left."

The fox sighed pitifully, laughing inwardly as the leprechaun burst into tears. "Can you blame me for following him into battle, unwilling to lose that last family member I have?"

"No! Never!" The sobbing leprechaun launched himself at him, throwing his surprisingly strong arms about Kyuubi's shoulders and squeezing. The fox fought down a wince as his bones bent under the pressure. "Your devotion is a sign of youth! Protect your family to the death if you must!"

Crying out, Kyuubi slipped out of his grip and clasped the ninja's hands within his own. "You understand! You feel my pain!" he gushed.

"I do! To the best of my abilities, I will support you as you rebuild your family ties!"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" _God, these humans are so EASY!_ Lifting a hand, Kyuubi rubbed away non-existent tears. He took a shuddery breath to compose himself. "I know it will be difficult, since our personalities are so different..."

Kiba snorted, resting a hand upon his shoulder. "Yeah, good luck on that front. Uchiha's not exactly the easiest to get along with."

Kyuubi shook his head. "I know, but...he's _family_."

The two of them glanced at the Uchiha, who looked like he was ready to tear Kyuubi's head off. Chuckling lightly, Kiba leaned closer to him.

"Well, if you ever need to get away from him for a bit, just come find me. Believe it or not, there _are_ some good times to be had in Konoha."

Lifting an eyebrow at the mischievous glint in the ninja's eyes, Kyuubi gave him a gentle grin. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Now then!" Lee abruptly burst in. "Let us return home! What better way to introduce yourself to Konoha than as a hero returning from battle?"

Grinning fully, Kyuubi gave him a slight bow. "After you."

TLG looked like he wanted to roll his pretty pale eyes at them, but he simply bent down and picked up the last remaining Sound ninja. Turning, he gestured for the others to follow. Teeth glinting in the night, Kyuubi winked at his fuming master and followed suit.

_Just try to get rid of me NOW... "cousin."_

* * *

After a mission debriefing and repeating his spiel to Tsunade—BOOOOOOBS, heaping, bouncing, BOOBS!—Kyuubi found himself dragged by the wrists into the nearest restaurant. He sat down at a table with a grill in the center, looking at it curiously. As Kiba sat next to him, he glanced up with a questioning glint in his eyes. 

Kiba smiled. "Never been to a barbeque restaurant before?" Kyuubi shook his head. "Well, you'll love it. We'll show you how it's done."

As a waitress began to approach them, Kiba looked up and grinned. "Ah, one of the best things about this place, Naruto..." Glancing back at him, Kiba wiggled his eyebrows. "You always have something to look at."

Grinning in response, "Naruto" eyed the pretty girl as she stopped beside their table and smiled.

"Welcome! Is there anything I can get for you?"

Kiba lifted a hand. "Can we have orders of beef and chicken for four people, please?"

The girl smiled. "Of course. It will just take a moment." As she turned and sauntered off, Kiba and Naruto let their eyes follow her bottom. Together, they sighed.

"Times have changed," Naruto mused quietly. He shifted his gaze to the two men sitting across from him. "Say, why couldn't Ta—I mean, Hyuuga-san come with us?"

Lee smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid he had other business to attend to."

Snorting, Kiba leaned back against the seat. "I'd say it's more a case of him fleeing the social scene. He's like Uchiha." Gesturing at Sasuke with his thumb, Kiba smirked. "These two act like they're the only people in Konoha who don't have the _plague_."

Amused at Sasuke's scowl, Naruto leaned his elbows upon the table. "Surely he can't be _that_ bad. I mean, I've already spent some time around him, and he hasn't tried to take my head off." Pausing, the blond rested a finger upon his lips. "Oh...wait. Never mind. He did."

Lee frowned at the Uchiha beside him. "Sasuke-san, have you been fighting with your poor relative?" he scolded. Naruto placed his hand over his mouth to hide his grin at Sasuke's glare. "You _know_ how much pain he is going through right now! You should be more considerate."

Whimpering lightly, Naruto gave Sasuke a pouty face. "Yeah, Sasuke-kun. Be nice to me."

_I wonder how many times his eye will twitch tonight._ Naruto grinned. _One, two...three..._

Clearing his throat lightly, Sasuke glared at him. "Well, I certainly never _asked_ for you to come here."

Naruto's grin fell off his face at the anger in Sasuke's statement. Unconsciously, he started rubbing the ring on his finger.

"As a matter of _fact_..."

_Oh god, don't say it._

"I recall telling you _not_ to come."

Hissing, Naruto tugged at the gold band as it heated painfully, digging into his skin. Looking up, he gave Sasuke a weak, pained smile.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't you think things worked out for the better?" _Please say yes, please say yes!_

"_No_, I _don't_."

_Damn!_ The ring practically vibrated, ripping off shreds of unseen chakra. As his healing chakra was stripped away, the wounds on his back and side reopened. Naruto gasped, blinking as the world suddenly swam before him. He watched distractedly as Sasuke folded his arms and glared at him.

**_"Thou shall acknowledge thy master." _**

"I told you to stay home, _Naruto_."

**_"Thou shall not displease thy master."_**

"Aw c'mon, Sasuke, lighten up!" Kiba chided, tossing an arm about Naruto's shoulders. "What harm did he do?"

**_"Thou shall not disobey a direct order. It is forbidden."_**

Weaving unsteadily as old words thundered in his head, Naruto felt his world grow dark.

**_"HE IS THY MASTER. THOU SHALL SUBMIT TO HIM!"_**

Naruto passed out.

* * *

Startled, Sasuke watched as the blond man abruptly slumped in his seat, planting his face on the table with a heavy _thud_. Lee and Kiba leapt out of their seats, attempting to right the fallen man. 

"What happened? Is he ok?" Lee asked concernedly. Kiba froze, sniffing the air.

"I...I think he's bleeding!"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Sasuke rose to his feet and made his way around the table. He placed a hand on the unconscious blond's chin, tilting it up. The brunet frowned. _He's so pale. What's going on?_ Eyes lowering, he took in the growing stain on the blond's side.

"Let's move him to the floor," he stated quietly. Nodding, the other two men helped him gently lower Naruto to the tiled ground as other patrons murmured uneasily. The men stripped off the blond's shirt and grimaced.

"Jeez, look at these!" Gingerly rolling Naruto over, Kiba winced at the numerous wounds on the man's back. "How many kunai did he get hit by?"

Abruptly, Sasuke recalled the impacts Naruto took while guarding his back. _Why did he do that?_ he questioned furiously, unaccustomed to the edge of guilt that prodded him. _He shouldn't have even **been** there!_

Naruto twitched, and the wounds on his back began to bleed with more vigor. Scowling, Sasuke stripped off his own shirt and began ripping it to shreds. _Don't you die on me, you goddamn useless rodent._ Ignoring the fact that he'd previously wanted the demon gone, he pressed the fabric against his wounds. Sasuke looked up at his companions.

"I'll take him to Tsunade. Take care of the check."

The other two sputtered in surprise. "But—Sasuke—"

Without another word, the Uchiha hefted the blond onto his back and raced out of the establishment. As he ran, Naruto shifted slightly and gave a weak groan.

"Hold on, usuratonkachi," Sasuke murmured. "Just hold on."

He raced through the darkened streets towards the Hokage tower.

_I'll be damned if you die from saving **me.**_


	5. Pain

**Author's note****: Um... No excuses, really. I got hit with a rather powerful attack by my Anti-muse over the last...damn, **_**year**_**. I started this chapter a dozen different times, started new stories, only to find everything sub-par and irritating. It got to the point where it was easier not to try. **

**And then, last night, my muse finally kicked her ass, and I found this coming out.**

**I have a lot of fun things that I plan to do with this story, and I really don't plan to abandon it (permanently, anyway). If anyone is still watching, well, I adore you.**

**I'm bringing this story with me when I go back to the land of the rising sun in September, so I should be further inspired. Sorry about the impossible wait, I'll try not to do it again.**

**Dewa,**

**AkaiTsume**

* * *

Hands slapping her desk, Tsunade abruptly sat straight up in her seat. She blinked furiously at the world of white before her. _What now? Whodunit?_ With a light crinkling sound, the world of white shifted, slipping off to the side. Grimacing, Tsunade reached up, peeled the offending piece of paper off her forehead, and squinted at it.

"_In accordance with the statutes of the Aoyama Treaty regarding trade relations between the Hidden Villages of the Leaf and of the Sand, this resolution details..."_

Tsunade grunted and lowered the paper to her desk. _No wonder I fell asleep on this rubbish._ Yawning, she stretched her arms up over her head and attempted to crack her shoulders. _I'm really not built for this "Hokage" business. I should be gambling._ Abruptly, a vision of a politely snarling Shizune danced behind her eyes. The blonde frowned briefly, then shrugged her shoulders. _Hell, if she's so passionate about paperwork, SHE can have the job._

With a sigh, she lowered her arms to her desk and rolled her neck. Ever since Sasuke's report of intruders in Konoha, stress had wound itself into a sharp knot at the base of Tsunade's skull. She raised a hand to rub the knot, frowning down at the trade agreement before her. Relations with the Sand were always shaky at best, even in these days of relative peace and quiet. When she dealt with those stuffy diplomats, she couldn't help feeling like they were just looking for an excuse to attack her, despite all of their reassurances to the contrary. Sighing again, she picked up a pen and prepared to sign her name on the document.

_Hell, if it'll get them off my back for a few months, _she reasoned,_ I'll do anything._

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!"

Those frantic cries were all the warning the busty blonde had before the doors to her office crashed open. Instinctively, Tsunade clutched her papers to her chest.

"I wasn't sleeping!" she adamantly denied. "I was doing paperwork!"

Shizune didn't pause at the interruption, choosing instead to rush over to the Hokage and drag her to her feet. Her eyes were alit with concern and determination, but it was the slight hint of fear that gave Tsunade pause. Frowning, Tsunade dropped the papers—not that they were of any real loss in her mind—and followed her assistant out of the room.

"What's going on?" she demanded. Shizune bit her lip.

"Uchiha Sasuke just brought his cousin into the emergency room. His cousin seems to have several serious back wounds, and the doctors downstairs are having trouble with them."

Tsunade's frown deepened, and she quickened her stride. "The Uzumaki boy? But I saw him only an hour ago, and he was fine. How did he get injured between now and then?"

Shaking her head, Shizune led the way down a single flight of stairs, then held the door open for the Hokage to stride through. "I'm afraid I don't know, Hokage-sama."

The blonde woman ran through a mental checklist as she approached the emergency room, passing an irate-looking Uchiha Sasuke as he paced in the hallway. She nodded sharply at him. _I'm positive that Naruto was fine when I saw him, so the injuries couldn't be from battle. Did someone attack him after that?_ A scowl bloomed upon her face. _What reason would anyone have to attack him? Have the streets gotten that bad without my noticing?_

Entering the room, Tsunade brushed aside the multitude of swarming doctors surrounding the blond man's form. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the bloodied back. Strips of the shirt had been placed in a nearby bin after they'd been cut off the man's body, but efforts to patch him up didn't seem to have worked, if the pile of blood-soaked gauze was any indication. Tsunade stretched her hands out, watching the man before her as her hands were washed and sterilized by a nearby nurse.

"What's happened here?" she demanded gruffly.

The nearest doctor shook his head. "Kunai wounds to the back. Uchiha-san wouldn't say where they came from, or when Uzumaki-san was injured."

Tsunade nodded, making a mental note to drag the information out of the raven-haired piss factory as soon as she saved his cousin's life. Pushing some of her healing chakra to the surface, she skimmed her hands over the many wounds. Several were deep, but none seemed to have hit any critical points. Her doctors should have been able to handle this by themselves.

"Why haven't you stopped his bleeding?" She spared a quick glance at the doctor who'd spoken before. He gave her a confused frown and shrugged.

"His wounds refuse to close, Hokage-sama. I...I can't explain it."

Frowning in concentration, Tsunade placed her hands directly above one of the more severe wounds in the center of the man's back. She let her healing chakra slip down from her fingers, down past his skin, and began tying the muscles back togeth—

_CRACK!_

With a tremendous burst of energy, Tsunade's chakra was flung back at her in a shower of sparks. The woman stumbled backwards, only to be steadied by the other doctors.

"What the hell??" She gazed at the man's back in shock, watching as the crackling energy subsided. With a low grunt, Uzumaki Naruto shifted on the operating table and opened his eyes. Tsunade spared a venomous glare for her unfortunate underlings.

"Don't tell me that you didn't anesthetize him," she growled. The doctors paled.

"We-we did, Hokage-sama! He made no responses to treatment before this!" the nearest proclaimed. Tsunade glared, but she soon turned her attention back to her patient. Naruto's glassy blue eyes stared blankly at her, his pupils the size of pinpoints. Taking a calming breath, Tsunade leaned forward.

"Naruto, can you feel anything?"

He simply continued to gaze at her, seemingly unaware of anything she said. As she raised her hands to try again, however, he made a low noise in his throat.

"Won't...work..."

Pausing, Tsunade returned her gaze to the blond man's. "Why?" she urged. "Why can't we heal you?"

"...Just...can't." Naruto drew in a shaky breath. "Sasuke..."

The Hokage leaned closer. "What about him? Does he have something to do with this?"

The whiskered man closed his eyes, falling silent. Frustrated, Tsunade ground her teeth. _I'll have to give it another shot, then._ She pressed her hands against the wounds, but before she could even summon the energy required to heal him, that same crackling barrier forced her hands away.

"Need...Sasuke."

Glancing down, she took in her patient's face as he appeared to lose consciousness. Lips pursing, Tsunade made a split-second decision.

"Get Uchiha in here."

* * *

Sasuke's feet had nearly worn a hole in the floor before an orderly came out to fetch him. Schooling his face into impassiveness, he followed her into the emergency room. As his eyes fell upon the blond man, his stomach gave a painful lurch.

God. There was blood _everywhere_. The scent of it clung to the air, reminding Sasuke less of battles than of powerlessness, of watching people die and having no control over it...

"Sasuke!"

Tsunade's sharp voice dragged the Uchiha's mind back to the present, though a hand came up to absentmindedly rub at the scar on his neck. He made his way over to the fox's side.

"Why is he still bleeding?" he questioned in a low, dangerous voice. "If I knew you were going to let him drain to death, I'd have just taken him home and let him do it there."

The tide of anger from the Hokage swept through the air, but Sasuke gave no indication of noticing. Eyes glued to the man before him, he awaited her explanation.

After a moment, Tsunade responded. "Naruto refuses to accept healing chakra. He asked for you." Sasuke could feel the weight of her suspicious glare upon his neck. "Any idea why?"

The Uchiha forced himself to shrug. "No."

When it became apparent that she wasn't going to receive anything else from him, Tsunade sighed and reached for a towel. "We'll just have to stitch him up, then, and hope it works. If you want, Sasuke, you can hold his hand."

Sasuke leveled an icy stare upon her. The woman huffed in exasperation.

"For emotional support, if you're capable of it," she bit out. "He _did_ ask for you, after all. You might as well make yourself useful."

Frowning, Sasuke reached down and gently clasped Naruto's hand. His eyebrows furrowed immediately.

_He's cold._ For some reason, that bothered him immensely. It made sense for the hand to be cold since all of his blood was flowing out of his back, but...Naruto..._Kyuubi_ was always warm. Abnormally warm, even. Unconsciously, Sasuke tightened his grip on the demon's hand. _Naruto, what's happening to you?_

As if in response, the blond man stirred. Naruto didn't seem to hear the admonishments to keep still as the doctors and Tsunade worked to stitch his wounds shut. Sasuke swallowed as he stared into the man's pale blue eyes. _Wait, pale blue? Since when is this man anything but vibrant?_ Scowling, Sasuke glanced away. _If he'd just listened to me in the first place, none of this would have—_

"Someone get all of this blood out of my way! Get some pressure on those wounds!"

The emergency room abruptly doubled in activity as Naruto's body spasmed; the fingers surrounding Sasuke's tightened painfully. Trying not to wince, the Uchiha used his free hand to try and pry the white-knuckled fingers off him before his fingers snapped. _He'd better not be dying on me, damn him! I didn't put up with this shit for him to die on me less than two days in!_

Naruto's grip began to weaken slightly, allowing blood to flow back into Sasuke's fingertips. Sasuke scowled, worry beginning to unfurl unpleasantly within him.

"You little asshole," he murmured. "Why the hell did you come to protect me if you were just going to keel over?"

Although Naruto didn't really seem to hear what Sasuke was saying, the blond's fingers gave his a gentle squeeze. Unbidden, the Uchiha's thumb began to rub Naruto's knuckles reassuringly. Naruto's lips quirked.

"All right," Tsunade stated suddenly, using her sleeve to wipe sweat off her brow. "That'll have to do for now. Let's get him bandaged."

Sasuke felt Naruto's hand fall limp in his own as they taped absorbent pads and gauze to the blond's torso. The demon's eyes slid shut. Absorbed in thought, Sasuke rubbed his hand as he watched the doctors work on his companion. _Naruto must know what's happening to him. Why else would he call me in? Was it something I said that caused this?_

The demon stirred again as the doctors finished wrapping him. His back moved as he struggled to take a deep breath.

"Leave me..."

Tsunade leaned close to him, placing a gloved hand on his arm. "Naruto, are you sure? We need to figure out what we can—"

"_Please!_" he gasped out, tightening his grip on Sasuke's fingers. The Hokage frowned disapprovingly, but she straightened nonetheless. With a few sharp waves of her hands, the other doctors left the room. She leveled her angry eyes upon Sasuke as she addressed the wounded fox.

"If you need us, we'll be right outside."

Sasuke simply stared back at her, his own eyes glacial. With obvious difficulty, Naruto nodded his head. Pulling off her gloves with audible _snaps_, Tsunade left the operating room and closed the door behind her. Silence fell upon the two men, broken only by Naruto's labored breathing.

Frowning, Sasuke stared at the clammy hand gripping his own. "Naruto, why is this happening to you? Why can't the doctors heal you?"

The fox didn't respond, his blue eyes gazing despondently at the floor. Sasuke shook his head in frustration.

"You weren't even hurt when we left the battle. If you were still injured, why didn't you _say_ something??"

A long silence followed his question before the fox demon responded. "...I wasn't."

Sasuke's grip tightened on the man's hand. "Then why are you injured _now_?"

Once again, Naruto refused to reply. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke began toying with the ring on Naruto's finger, twisting it sharply. The demon jumped, jerking his hand away. Sasuke blinked.

"Why did you..." Sasuke trailed off, abruptly irritated with Naruto's refusal to meet his eyes. He jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth beside the operating table. He glared at the slowly darkening bandages. "You know, I'm getting really sick and tired of your not answering my questions. Obviously, you have rules that you have to follow, right? You said as much yourself."

Sighing, Naruto finally glanced up at him. "And?" he asked wearily.

"Well, that's what this is, isn't it?? Another goddamn rule. I'm hurting you, and I don't even know why!" Sasuke paused, staring down at the fox with sudden comprehension. "That's it, isn't it? I'm the one doing this to you."

Those blue eyes swiveled away from him, which in itself was confirmation. Sasuke folded his arms across his chest.

"Tell me how to fix it."

Naruto stared at the floor for a long moment before sighing again. "...Am I really such a burden to you?"

Sasuke blinked in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "What?"

"You've done nothing but complain since you released me. Am I really _that_ annoying?"

Hearing such a defeated tone from the blond unsettled Sasuke. Frowning, he averted his eyes, one hand reaching up to rub absently at the scar on his neck.

"Well...You _have_ been doing your best to annoy the hell out of me. What do you expect?" he replied grumpily. When Naruto didn't respond, the Uchiha returned his gaze to the other man. He started at the crestfallen, pained expression on the fox's face. "Naruto..."

"Please don't send me away," the genie abruptly requested, his voice shallow and strained. "_Please_."

Sasuke's hand slipped away from his neck. "I..."

"I'll do better. I..." He grunted in pain as he tried to raise himself onto his elbows. Unthinkingly, Sasuke rushed forward and placed a hand gingerly on the man's back. Naruto's blond hair hung down, shielding his face from view. "I'll answer your questions, or whatever you want. Just..."

"Stop moving, you idiot, before you hurt yourself," Sasuke demanded roughly. "And stop begging, it's disgusting." Guilt was streaking through him with every word of the demon. As much as Naruto had gotten on his nerves, he much preferred the feisty demon to this..._supplicant_. "What would happen if I tried to send you away?"

Naruto's jaw visibly tensed. "I would...go back into confinement."

"For how long?"

The blond's broad shoulders began trembling. "Until someone else released me. It would not be...pleasant for me."

"Why?" Sasuke demanded, eyeing Naruto's wounded back with concern.

"...Because I would be...punished."

Even without further explanation, Sasuke's stomach churned at the weight Naruto placed upon that last word. "Is that what's happening now? Are you being punished?"

The trembling grew worse, though from fear or anger, Sasuke couldn't tell. "Yes."

Wincing, Sasuke took in the bloodied bandages. "...Sorry," he murmured.

Naruto stilled. Slowly, he raised his head to regard Sasuke with wide blue eyes. "What?"

"I didn't know. I'm...sorry." Uncomfortable with the blond's stare, he scowled and glanced aside. "You don't deserve this, even if you did disobey me. You actually did..._help_," he managed to choke out, "back there."

Naruto stared at him in apparent shock. Abruptly, his arms gave out, and he collapsed back onto the table. Sasuke quickly placed a hand upon his back, startled. "Naruto?"

"You mean you...forgive me?" He really should not have sounded as floored as he did. Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"Is there some reason I shouldn't?"

"...No, not really." Turning his head, Naruto stared up at him. "So...you don't want me to be punished for this?"

Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "No, I don't."

Naruto gazed at him, glanced at the floor, and then back up to him. "Then...will you remove my bandages and place your hands on my back?"

"What? What for?" Despite his questions, Sasuke moved forward and began peeling away the tape that held the gauze to the man's back. Naruto didn't reply. Once the bloodied fabric was pulled away, Sasuke grimaced and placed his hands over the wounds. "Like this?"

Before the blond could reply, Sasuke felt an invisible force tug at him. Jumping, he watched as wisps of his blue chakra funneled out of his hands to skate over the blond's back. The wounds closed immediately, leaving no trace behind. The wisps of chakra spun for a moment, then retreated back into Sasuke's hands. Amazed, he slowly pulled his hands away and held them up, staring at his seemingly normal palms.

"...What?" He wiggled his fingers, but they didn't feel any different. "How did I do that?"

"The same way you opened the wounds in the first place," Naruto replied succinctly, rolling over and sitting up on the table. He stretched his arms over his head, twisting his back this way and that before lowering them again. "I guess you could say we have a...well, a bond."

"A bond." Lowering his hands, Sasuke eyed the half-naked man before him. Already, color had returned to his skin, and his eyes were shining as vibrantly blue as ever. "So all I had to do was touch your back, and you'd be fine? Why didn't you just _say_ so?"

Naruto shrugged, swinging his legs off the tale and jumping to his feet. "It's not that simple. If you decided to keep blaming me for showing up, touching the wounds would've just—"

Sasuke frowned when Naruto cut himself off and stared at the floor. "Would've what? Made them _worse?_ You were already practically bleeding to death!" He paused. "_Can_ you bleed to death?"

"...Not normally, no." But the blond wasn't looking at him.

"So you can if I go overboard and _make_ you. Fuck." Frustrated, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "Don't you think I should've _known_ this?? I could have killed you!"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, looking uncomfortable. "Didn't seem important," he muttered. Sasuke's hackles went up.

"Didn't seem _important_? You think I _want_ your blood on my hands??" Incensed, Sasuke geared up to completely ream him out...until he noticed how tense Naruto suddenly looked. He shut his mouth with a click, trying to regain his composure. Breathing slowly through his nose, he finally continued in a calmer tone, "So, what. Every time I yell at you, you're going to start bleeding all over me?"

Clearly startled, Naruto barked out a short laugh. "If that were the case, this would be a very short relationship."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Good to know." Naruto scratched his chest absently, unwittingly causing Sasuke's gaze to follow the motion. Blinking, the brunet tore his eyes away and cleared his throat. "At any rate, we should probably stop tying up Tsunade's operating room. Put a shirt on, and we'll go."

"A shirt. Right." A faint, inexplicable blush graced the blond's cheeks. "Um, I should probably tell you..."

Sasuke sighed. "Now what?"

"Well, after an episode like that, it's always a little harder for me to use magic," he stated sheepishly, running a hand through his messy locks. "So, even if I'd really rather be clothed right now..."

"You can't. Great." Lifting an eyebrow, he glanced down at his own exposed chest. "I guess making a new shirt for me is out of the question, too, hmm?"

Naruto laughed. "At least it died for a good cause. And yes, it is." He opened his mouth to say something, then hesitated and looked away. Sasuke sighed again.

"Just say it. I know you're dying to."

Scratching the side of his head, Naruto glanced at Sasuke and gave him a light smirk. "I was just going to say that you'd probably make any girl's dream come true if they caught you walking home that way. Instant popularity, hmm?"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke pushed past Naruto and headed for the door. "Oh, shut up. You do _not_ have to butter me up."

He didn't have to see the blond's grin to know it was there as footsteps followed him. "What buttering up? Aren't I allowed to compliment your sterling physique?"

"Shoot me now."

"I do have to say, you're definitely the most attractive master I've ever had. Though I wonder, is that because people bathe more frequently now?" Leaning in as Sasuke reached the door, he took a deep sniff. "I must say, blood and gore aside, you smell fantastic."

"Shut. Up."

Naruto laughed heartily. Despite himself, Sasuke felt a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He pushed open the door to the operating room, coming to a sudden stop as Tsunade immediately turned to face him. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of the unbandaged, apparently unhurt blond behind him.

"How...?"

Before Sasuke could reply, Naruto placed both hands on his shoulders and leaned forward, grinning charmingly.

"It's a family thing." He gazed around at the doctors milling about, locking eyes briefly with each. Sasuke's back grew warm, startling him into the Sharingan—sure enough, there were tiny swirls of red chakra slipping away from the man behind him and stealing into each of the doctors. "I'm sorry to have been such a bother, but since I'm all better now, would anyone mind if I went home? Please?"

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes when all of the doctors, including, to some extent, Tsunade, melted. They looked to the Hokage, who waved her hands dismissively.

"Oh all right, you can go home. But I want you in here first thing in the morning for a checkup, alright?"

Naruto beamed at her. "Of course."

Shaking his head, Sasuke pulled away from the blond, grabbed his wrist, and proceeded to drag him down the hallway. Naruto followed obediently, calling out his goodbyes to the bemused hospital staff. The two walked in silence until they left the Tower, the cool night air hitting both of them as they stepped outside. Releasing his arm, Sasuke turned to the blond and eyed him suspiciously.

"Don't you think they agreed a little quickly, given their panic when they couldn't save you?"

Naruto winced. "Noticed that, did you?" Rubbing his hair, he started walking along the deserted night streets. Sasuke fell into step beside him. "It's a little gift we genies were given at the beginning. I can kind of...manipulate people."

Sasuke stopped dead on the street, his eyes narrowing. "Even me?"

"Huh?" Naruto's eyes went wide, and he brought his hands up in alarm. "No! It doesn't...it won't work on you. If it did," he smiled weakly, "I'd be able to talk you out of punishing me, right? And _that_ sure as hell didn't work."

Still suspicious, Sasuke started walking again. "Hmm."

"Aw, come on. Can't you give me the benefit of the doubt on this one? If I could manipulate you, don't you think I'd have made my life a hell of a lot easier by now?"

"I suppose..." Sasuke frowned. "But I thought you said you couldn't use your magic for a while."

"Pushing people to like me when they were already concerned takes about zero effort. Creating a shirt basically out of thin air? A lot more effort." He shook his head. "At least before, I had the whole towel to work with. Trying to stretch what's left of it could wreck the whole thing, and then where would I be?"

"Stretch what's _left_..." Sasuke stared at him. "You mean you're basically walking around in _half_ a _towel?_"

Naruto shrugged sheepishly. "I told you I had to have something to work with."

Rubbing his eyes, Sasuke shook his head. "Let's just get home."

The two walked in silence back to the Uchiha compound. Occasionally, Naruto would reach up and rub at the tiny tattoo on his shoulder, frowning pensively. Sasuke pretended to ignore him. As they approached the empty buildings that used to house his family, Sasuke glanced at the strangely quiet man beside him.

"I don't suppose you have enough juice to get us both clean, do you?" he asked wryly. As though distracted, Naruto slowly shook his head, his eyes staring vacantly at the moon. Frowning, Sasuke glanced at the moon himself, but he couldn't see anything worth staring at. Returning his gaze to the fox, he placed a hand hesitantly upon Naruto's shoulder. Naruto jumped.

"Sorry, what? Did you say something?" the blond questioned. A confused furrow appeared between Naruto's eyebrows. Sasuke started to roll his eyes, but he paused, looking down at his hand. The shoulder it was resting on was lower than it was before. Had Naruto...shrunk?

Abruptly concerned, Sasuke simply shook his head and removed his hand. "It was nothing. Come on."

Naruto hung back for a moment as Sasuke pulled away, his blue eyes boring a hole in the Uchiha's back. He glanced back up at the moon, reaching up to rub his shoulder again. Shaking his head, he followed his new master home.

* * *

Naruto stood silently by the window in the darkened bedroom, listening idly as Sasuke finished showering in the bathroom. After a few minutes, the raven-haired man entered the bedroom, rubbing at his hair with a towel. Sasuke paused, then sighed, tossing the towel to the carpeted floor.

"Naruto, are you sure you're alright?" he questioned gruffly. The blond's lips twitched.

"I'm fine. Go to bed." Ignoring the irritated noise that the Uchiha made in reply, Naruto continued gazing out the window as the other man prepared for bed. His ring twinged painfully on his finger, throbbing warningly as it had ever since Sasuke had healed his back. Frowning, he rubbed yet again at the Uchiha tattoo on his shoulder.

"_How dare you disobey me, you filthy animal!" A sick crunch as his fingers were brutally stamped upon. Kyuubi gasped._

"_Please, master, I didn't mean to—"_

"_SHUT UP!" A foot to the face. "You'll bleed all over this floor and like it, you disgusting creature. And in the morning, you'll clean it until it is SPOTLESS, do you understand me??"_

"_Yes! Yes, master, I'm sorry, I—"_

_The door slammed shut, a heavy lock clanging into position. Whining softly with pain, Kyuubi rolled to his hands and knees, head hanging from his shoulders. After a series of long, deep breaths, he lifted his gaze, eyes burning red as the blood dripping from his damaged mouth._

"_Fucking Uchihas are all alike," he spat. "One day, one day I'll get to kill them a—"_

Gasping, Naruto shook his head to dispel the memory. He glanced around, noting with surprise that not only had Sasuke already crawled into bed, but the man already seemed to be asleep. Sighing, the fox demon lowered down to all fours, fur sprouting as he transformed. The remains of the shredded towel fell from his hips to the floor.

Silently, Kyuubi padded over to the side of the bed, placing his chin on the soft sheets as he gazed curiously at the young man dozing on his side before him. Even in sleep, a furrow had appeared between the Uchiha's brows. Kyuubi sighed.

_I've never had a master who didn't adore the fact that he could punish me at will. Given his attitude towards me, I thought Sasuke would milk the whole experience._ The fox frowned, remembering with bemusement the horrified expression Sasuke'd worn when the demon had explained the situation. Instead of forcing Naruto to feel every drop of pain possible, he'd agreed to heal the self-imposed wounds, and even seemed to be concerned for him in his own pissy way. Frankly, he'd managed to completely baffle the fox demon. He'd thought that he had the youngest Uchiha all figured out.

Now he was being forced to admit that..._maybe_ Sasuke wasn't as bad as the rest of his family. _Maybe_.

After staring at the brunet for a few minutes—and dealing with the consistent throbbing of his enslavement ring—Kyuubi sighed, crouched, and leapt gingerly onto the bed. He nosed his way under the covers, traveling down the bed before returning to rub against Sasuke's side, eventually slipping beneath the man's arm and curling up against his chest. Sasuke grunted, opening his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Kyuubi didn't respond, sighing lightly as he pressed against Sasuke's chest. It vibrated as the man groaned.

"Nothing I say is going to remove you from my bed, is it?"

Kyuubi smiled. Sighing in an overly put-upon manner, Sasuke settled against the fox and closed his eyes. The arm over Kyuubi's back shifted.

"If you wet the bed, your ass is sleeping outside forever," the brunet grumbled. Chuckling, Kyuubi closed his eyes and shifted until he was comfortably nestled against the Uchiha. His ring finally subsided.

As the pair returned to sleep, Kyuubi's ears twitched lightly, filled with the sound of the cicadas outside. The fox sighed.

_I suppose I can try to make the best of this. After all_, he thought, a smile tugging at his lips, _at least he doesn't smell too bad...for an Uchiha._


	6. Idiocy

**Author's note:**** Ok, so I wrote this actually several weeks ago, and decided that it wasn't finished. Then, today, I looked at it again...and really liked it. (0.o) I don't understand my muse, but there you go.**

** Anyway! Sorry about the late post, but I'm getting a much firmer idea of where I want to go with this story. You may see more AU's from me in this vein: Naruto and Kyuubi being one and the same. I'm actually thinking of at least one set in a Princess Mononoke-type universe. **

** And just fyi, I'm currently in Japan, hahaha. If you want updates on what's going on while I'm here in this crazy country, as well as more info on what might delay a post, you can find me at: http (colon slash slash) akaitsume (dot) livejournal (dot) com to y'all there! Enjoy. **

* * *

"Eeeeeeeeeggs, eggs, eeeeeggs, you break 'em and you cook 'em, eeeeeggs…" 

Grunting, Sasuke rolled over in bed as an irritating, singing voice poked its large butt into his dreams and startled him awake. Eyes still shut, he reached out a hand to the space next to him, expecting to find that warm, comforting presence he'd felt all night.

His sheets were still warm, but no body could be found.

"Eggs! Add a little sugar, add a little milk. Whip 'em up, flip 'em over! Eeeeeeeggs…"

Oh sweet god.

"I waaaaaant to cook an omelet! Omelet omelets! With eeeeeeggs…"

Groaning loudly, Sasuke peeled his eyes open and tossed his sheets away from him. He sat up grouchily, raven hair poking out in every direction. Muttering, Sasuke rose to his feet and staggered out of his bedroom. Odd scents came wafting down the hallway, and the unmistakable sound of sizzling food buzzed in his tired ears. Yawning, Sasuke gripped the doorjamb for the kitchen and leaned against it, peering into the room. He blinked.

Gone was his stove, his microwave, and his toaster oven. In their stead stood an odd contraption that certainly looked _like_ his stove, were it not for the wood stand that was holding up a large, metal pot that Sasuke was certain he didn't own. Flames appeared to shoot up from nowhere, heating the bottom of the pot. In front of the monstrosity stood Naruto, who was not only singing to himself as he stirred the contents of the metal container, but _dancing_ as well.

And the whole room smelled of eggs.

"Naruto…_what_ are you doing?" Sasuke asked tiredly. The other man paused, then glanced over his shoulder.

"Making breakfast! I hope you like eggs." Flashing the confused Uchiha a grin, he turned back to his cooking. Slowly, Sasuke approached the table and sat.

"What did you do to my stove?"

"…What's a stove?"

Closing his eyes, Sasuke gestured towards the transformed hunk of metal before the blond. "_That_ was my stove. The thing with three burners for the sole purpose of cooking stuff?"

"Is _that_ what they were? I did wonder what all of those weird knobs and things were." When Sasuke opened his eyes, he caught the blond shrugging his broad shoulders. "I couldn't quite figure them out, so I traded them for stuff I could use. You don't mind, do you?"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course not. Why would I mind?" he asked sarcastically. "You managed to ruin my kitchen twice in the space of twenty four hours. I'm impressed."

At that, Naruto glanced over his shoulder again, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, 'ruined'? I'll change it all back when I'm done."

"Can you even do that, if you don't know what you changed in the first place?"

Those blue eyes went wide. "…Uhm…"

Sasuke sighed. Heavily. "Never mind."

To his surprise, Naruto's cheeks pinked slightly. Frowning, the blond turned back to his meal. "I'll _fix_ it, alright? Just trying to do something _nice_ for once…"

The muttered comments made Sasuke raise his eyebrows. "Why on earth would you try to do something nice for me? You hate me. You said so yourself."

"Just because I hate your guts doesn't mean I can't be…" The blond's shoulders hunched. "…Grateful."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "_Grateful?_ What do you mean, grate—"

"Right, food's on." Without further announcement, the blond flipped the egg concoction onto a waiting plate and set it pointedly in front of his master. As Sasuke stared at the plate, a bowl of rice, a pair of chopsticks, a plate of fish, and a glass of orange juice materialized in succession next to it. He looked up at the blond, who simply folded his arms over his chest and…pouted. "_Eat_."

The Uchiha heir gazed at the food apprehensively. It wasn't like Naruto could actually poison him, so the food was probably edible, but…this new attitude was disturbing him. An irritating, deliberately annoying, and defiant fox demon he could deal with, but a kind, _grateful_ one? Sasuke shuddered.

"Oh for chrissakes, just _eat_ the damn food will you? It's not poisoned, I swear." Naruto scowled. "I'll even promise not to cook for you anymore."

Sasuke swiveled in his chair, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the blond. "You're not reading my mind, are you?"

Naruto threw his hands up into the air. "Yes, Sasuke. I'm _so_ in tune with you that I'm reading your every brainwave, as a proper master and genie should. Of _course_ I can't read your mind."

"Well, how am I supposed to know? You never tell me anything about you," Sasuke grumbled, turning back to his meal and stabbing the eggs warily with his chopsticks.

"Excuse me? What about my whole confession series last night?" Clearly disgruntled, Naruto turned to storm out of the kitchen. "If you don't understand the rules, you shouldn't have released me in the first place. Eat your damn food."

Sasuke watched the fox demon disappear into his living room. "Don't 'trade' anything in there that you don't understand!!"

The answering groan _almost_ made Sasuke smile. Making sure he couldn't see Naruto from the table—and in return, couldn't be seen _by_ him—Sasuke leaned in and gently inhaled the scent of real homemade food. It might have been made by way of demon magic, but…it was still the first food that he hadn't been forced to cook himself in thirteen years. Despite himself, he smiled slightly as he lifted a bit of fluffy eggs and placed them in his mouth.

_Oh…god._ Sasuke's eyes shut. Flavors exploded in his mouth, dancing merrily along his tongue. He didn't know what the fox had _done_ to them, but the eggs had come out tasting…_exotic_, with spices his tongue couldn't quite recognize. Swallowing, he gazed down at the spread and frowned. Why would the demon go to this much trouble? Had the whole "punishment" mishap really bothered him that much?

_Probably_, Sasuke mused, continuing to eat. _Even if I didn't mean it, Naruto almost bled to death because of me._ Guilt slowed his movements slightly. _He probably cooked for me just to prevent me from getting mad again._

Hesitating, Sasuke looked down at his half-eaten omelet and fish. On the one hand, an eager-to-please genie _would_ be easier to live with, but…for some reason, it just seemed wrong. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke glowered at the table. _Only a half-assed Uchiha like me would consider a pleasant servant a __**bad**__ thing. No wonder Itachi didn't even bother to kill me with the rest of our family._

At the thought, a strange sensation erupted in his chest—it felt like a small flame was burning just beneath his heart, stretching out to envelop his entire chest—

"DOOOOUMOOOOOO! WELCOME TO MECHA ANIME WEEKDAY!! I'M KOJIMA YOSHIO, AND WE HAVE A GREEEEEEAT LINEUP FOR YOU TODAY!!!"

"AAAAAAAH!!!"

Sasuke nearly choked at the sudden blare of noise erupting from the living room, followed by a blood-curdling scream. Tossing down his chopsticks, he dashed into the room. The TV was flashing colors hectically and blasting music at full volume. Sasuke's fox demon, however, was nowhere to be seen. Swiping the remote, which was laying in the center of the floor, Sasuke turned the volume down and looked around.

"…Naruto?" No response. "Kyuubi?"

A light whimpering emanated from behind the couch. Lips twitching, Sasuke walked towards it. "Kyuubi?"

A pair of giant, furry paws slowly rose to clasp the back of the chair. After a moment, a large pair of twitching fox ears poked up from behind the couch, followed by a blond head with huge red eyes. Naruto's whisker marks had disappeared, replaced by actual whiskers standing straight out from his cheeks. The half fox glared at the television.

"What the _hell_ is that thing??" he growled through sharpened teeth. The ears folded back on his head. "It's…it's…_horrible!_"

Sasuke's shoulders were shaking. One hand placed over his mouth, he weakly gestured for Naruto to come out from behind the couch.

"It's…not going to hurt you, Naruto," he managed, voice wobbling tellingly. Those red eyes swept in his direction and narrowed.

"Are you laughing at me?" The words "you asshole" went unsaid, but were heard anyway.

"N-no. Not at all." Taking a deep breath, Sasuke managed to control his trembling lips. "Just…come out from behind the couch."

Glaring at Sasuke warily, Naruto stood and stepped out from behind his makeshift shelter. A large, red, fluffy tail was tucked firmly between his legs.

Sasuke lost it.

* * *

Scowling, Naruto glared mutinously as his master doubled over with laughter. The normally reserved man was practically crying, his face red from his current inability to breathe properly. Naruto's ears twitched angrily. 

"You know, if you expire on the floor, it's going to cause me a lot of trouble," he pointed out irritably. The Uchiha simply shook his head, pointing at the fox demon.

"You…you!" he gasped helpfully before succumbing to laughter yet again. Naruto's scowl deepened.

"Me, what?" Glancing down at himself, he finally took note of his giant paws and tail. His cheeks turned red. How was _he_ supposed to know that in his panic, he'd only transformed halfway? That…_monstrosity_ in front of him was certainly outlandish enough to warrant panic! The _noises_ it made, and…it looked like it had tiny people trapped inside! Naruto shuddered. What were they _doing_ to people in this day and age? Was it magic? Surely humans couldn't have figured out of to _shrink_ people…

As he thought, Naruto retracted his tail and ears, and his hands returned to human shape. This appeared to be enough to allow Sasuke to regain his sanity.

"Are you done yet?" Naruto questioned grumpily as his master straightened, swiping at his black eyes weakly. He'd never actually seen an Uchiha lose it like that, laughing like someone had attacked him with a thousand feathers. To be honest, he hadn't even thought them capable until now. Despite himself, his features softened a little. Sasuke was usually so strict and dour that it was easy to forget how young he was. Naruto sighed.

_I suppose losing your family is enough to turn any child into an adult._

Shrugging away the strange tight feeling that appeared in his chest at the thought, Naruto cautiously approached the strange, flashing box.

"So, now that you're done laughing, what exactly _is_ this thing?" He distinctly wished that he still had his fox ears, because his human ones refused to flatten. Sasuke handed him a long, black…thing with bumps all over it, humor still written all over his face.

"It's a television, Naruto. You can watch shows and news on it," Sasuke said, as if _that_ explained anything. "You can use the remote to change the channel."

Peeling his eyes away from the "terribishion," Naruto glared at Sasuke. "What the hell is a channel?"

The bastard's lips started twitching again. "It's…um. Well, different companies own their own…um, pieces of television programming, and they pick what to show on their channel."

Sasuke's words had started to float around in Naruto's brain, and he began to stare blankly at the "remote." "…Right. That makes sense." Hesitantly, he pressed one of the buttons on the remote. The picture changed, showing a woman dancing and singing as a metal box with wheels spun on a platform. She stepped inside the box by opening a door, and the giant box rolled off-screen.

"That was a car commercial," Sasuke supplied unhelpfully. A superior tone was creeping back into the creep's voice, causing Naruto's non-existent hackles to rise. Scowling, he pressed the button again. This time, two people—or rather, their heads—were staring longingly at each other. Naruto's nose wrinkled.

"How do they fit all these people into this box? Humans haven't learned sorcery, have they?" The very idea disturbed him. Humans were unpredictable enough with just their natural talents to deal with. Gods forbid any of them figured out how to wield _magic_.

Sasuke snorted. "Of course not. It's all done with electronics. They use cameras to record the shows, and then they broadcast them through satellites and cables to…" The Uchiha finally trailed off at the murderous glare the fox was sending him. Irritatingly, the little punk smirked. "I guess that's just going straight over your head, isn't it?"

"Jerk," Naruto muttered. "Ask me about history."

He changed the channel.

* * *

The first ten minutes of watching a millennium-old fox demon playing with his TV was amusing. After three hours of drooling amazement, it was annoying. 

"Naruto, come on. If we don't check in with Tsunade soon, she'll have my head." The fox gave no sign of having heard him, perched as he was on the couch with his feet tucked under him and the remote held before him like a sacred relic. He continued to change channels with absolute fascination, much as he'd been doing for the last several hours.

"They just keep _changing!_" Naruto muttered for the 187th time that morning. Sasuke groaned.

"Naruto! I order you to put down that remote and come _here!_"

The demon visibly stiffened, then slowly lowered the remote to the couch and stood. He glared at Sasuke with a mutinous expression as he shuffled over.

"You didn't have to order me, you know," he grouched. "I would have come over anyway."

"Yeah, in three years. Now let's go!" With that, he grabbed the demon's arm and began dragging him towards the front door, ignoring the resulting whine.

"But I wanted to see if Emiko was really going to marry Ichirou! They didn't look well suited for each other at all! And Yuuichi is a _much_ better man for her!"

"Oh, god, don't tell me you've gotten hooked on soap operas. _Please_." Wincing, Sasuke shoved him out the door, followed and shut it behind himself.

"But Yuuichi _loves_ her!!!"

_Someone save me._

* * *

Naruto sat on the cool table, watching as Tsunade poked and prodded at his bare chest. He didn't particularly mind, seeing as one: she was a beautiful woman running her hands all over him, and two: the fact that she kept bending over gave him an eyeful of cleavage every few minutes. Naruto smiled. 

"You can wipe that grin off your face, you little twerp. I know what you're thinking." Tsunade straightened abruptly, glared at him, and smacked him upside the head. The force of her blow snapped his head down to his chest.

"Owww!" Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto glared at her. "Aren't you supposed to be _nice_ to me?? I'm your patient!"

"Doesn't mean you have to be a little pervert. If I didn't know better, I'd think you knew that old man." Muttering to herself, she continued to scan his unblemished back. "Now, for the last time, how on earth did you manage to heal yourself during the two minutes you and Sasuke were alone together?"

The tone of her voice (and the continued throbbing of his head) convinced Naruto that she wasn't going to be put off any longer. He thought fast.

"It's a family condition of mine," he stated at last. "I'm allergic to other people's healing chakra. I could accept Sasuke's because we're related."

She looked him over suspiciously. "I thought you were eighth cousins."

"We may be distant relatives, but we're still relatives," Naruto lied firmly. "It has to be from blood."

"Hmmm. I've never heard of anything like that before." After a long, intense moment of silence, the woman sighed. "But I can't find any scars or remains of your wounds, so I guess you have to be telling the truth."

Naruto grinned, jumping off the table and snagging his shirt—he'd stolen one from Sasuke's closet when he woke up, as well as pants—from the floor. He tugged it on, giving her an impish smile.

"I think you just wanted to run your hands all over me." Another flying smack to the back of his head. "OW!"

"Stop hitting on me. I'm too old for you." Her lips twitched as she said it, though. Naruto thought briefly of letting her know that she couldn't _possibly_ be too old for him, but he thought better of it. Sasuke would kill him anyway.

As he thought of the Uchiha, he glanced out of the small window on the examination room door. Sasuke was still glowering to himself in the middle of the hallway, arms folded over his slim chest. Naruto watched him thoughtfully. The entire trip to the Hokage's tower had been uncomfortable and silent, all of the tension emanating from the abruptly sullen Uchiha beside him. It made Naruto wonder if his master was really so upset over having hurt him, but such a novel idea was hard to wrap his mind around. He wasn't used to the idea of his masters _not_ wanted to hurt and humiliate him.

He'd even cooked the young man breakfast as a bit of an olive branch, though the ungrateful bastard had barely seemed to appreciate it. Many of his masters had enjoyed his cooking—though perhaps not the first, when he was still figuring out how to cook. Sasuke had simply appeared disturbed.

_What does he want from me?_ Naruto frowned. No master ever released him without having an agenda. If he had to hazard a guess, he'd say that the Uchiha desired power…but then, why hadn't he made requests of Naruto? Could he honestly have no idea how powerful Kyuubi was? Even if the world seemed to have forgotten him as a genie, the least it could do was remember how strong he was! The nerve!

"So what's really going on between you two, then?"

The sudden question jolted him out of his musings. Turning, he saw that Tsunade had come up beside him, watching him carefully. Inexplicably, Naruto blushed.

"What are you talking about?" he asked gruffly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "There's nothing going on between us."

"Hmm." She said nothing for a while, looking out the window herself. "You know, Sasuke was seen with a little fox friend right before you showed up. I wonder what happened to the little fellow."

Unbidden, Naruto's heart started to pound in his chest. "Well, you know foxes. Easy come, easy go. I think I've seen it wandering around the Uchiha complex, but I haven't gotten a good look."

"Ah. Well, make sure to leave out a fish or two, will you? It wouldn't do for the fox to start eating the villager's chickens." She gave him an odd little smile. Naruto responded with a weak one of his own.

"Right. Thanks for the check-up, Tsunade-baachan." He raced out the doorway, ignoring the enraged, "HEY!" that followed him. Skidding to a stop before Sasuke, he grabbed the other man's arm and dragged him down the hallway. Sasuke spluttered entertainingly.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" The Uchiha ripped his arm away, scowling menacingly. "Don't manhandle me like that!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I just thought you might want to leave before the old hag gets suspicious."

Sasuke blinked at him in surprise. " 'Old hag'?"

Grinning, Naruto bumped shoulders with him. "She told me she was too old for me."

Before he could catch himself, Sasuke smiled. Recovering quickly, he turned it into a smirk and lifted an eyebrow at the blond beside him.

"Out of curiosity, then, how old _are_ you, Naruto?"

The fox demon's smile faded slightly. "Sometimes, it feels like I'm as old as the world itself." A split second later, the familiar, impish grin was back. "But for the record, we'll say I'm a few hundred years old."

"Ah. That young, hmm? It's a wonder you're out of nappies."

"Oh, shut up."

They walked companionably out of the tower, both lost in thought. Tsunade's cryptic, knowing words put Naruto a little on edge. Things never went well when people outside of the Uchiha family knew of his existence. With his previous masters, Kyuubi had been squirreled away in some dark room somewhere until he was called upon, and rarely allowed to venture outside of the compound walls. His master was also rarely allowed out, lest the Uchiha family secret be revealed.

It was so wonderful to actually get to roam through the streets, smell the air from a breeze rather than a barred window…

Beside him, Sasuke cleared his throat. "Naruto, I've been wondering. Last night, when I told you to stay home, you said that you would, even though you clearly planned to follow me. Isn't that a violation of the rules?"

Shaking his dreary thoughts away, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Ah, that. Well, until I got caught by you, I was planning to just help out and sneak back before you returned so that you'd 'find me still there'."

"And the bit about staying?" Sasuke's voice had taken on a bit of suspicion, as though he knew what was coming next.

Naruto grinned at him. "Well, I _am_ staying at your house." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Staying…as in living with me?"

"Bingo!"

Groaning, Sasuke covered his face with his hand. "So, basically, you're telling me that I ordered you to live with me."

"Yup."

Naruto's grin grew at the Uchiha's second groan. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm an excellent housemate."

"I'm sure." Pausing on the mostly deserted road, Sasuke gave Naruto a calculating look. "So, since you've been serving Uchihas for a while, I'm guessing that you have a significant number of jutsu under your belt."

"Hmm, I do know one or two." The blond turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

"I think you should spar with me." An unholy gleam had entered those black eyes. "See where I measure up again a long line of Uchihas."

That proposition made Naruto distinctly uncomfortable. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Sasuke…"

"Relax." Sasuke waved a dismissive hand. "If it's against your rules, I'll just order you to do it."

Anger spiking within him, Naruto grit his teeth. "It's not so simple as all that—"

"Nonsense. It'll be fine. Come on."

Fists clenched, Naruto followed an increasingly eager Sasuke off the road and deep into the surrounding woods. When they reached a clearing, Sasuke planted his hands on his hips and nodded.

"This should do just fine." Walking towards the center of the clearing, he raised his arms and stepped into a battle stance. "Come at me."

Frowning, Naruto stepped reluctantly towards his master. "Look, Sasuke, this really isn't a good idea."

"What, are you really afraid that I'm going to punish you again? The big, bad demon, strung out by his thumbs like a bad little boy?" the Uchiha taunted.

Even knowing that Sasuke was most likely just saying that to get what he wanted—or to hide the fact that he'd been concerned earlier—just hearing those words was enough to sharpen his teeth and turn his fingernails into claws.

"It's not a _joke_, Sasuke," he growled. The infuriating Uchiha smirked.

"Perhaps not. Maybe you're just afraid of getting beaten by a mere human. Is that it, Naruto-kun?"

Digging his claws into his palms, Kyuubi let his eyes burn red. "Don't _tempt_ me, Uchiha. I may not be able to kill you, but debilitating you is certainly allowable."

"Hah. You can't even sleep without snuggling up next to me." Kyuubi began to growl. "Show me what you're made of."

Against his better judgment, Kyuubi nodded.

"Fine."

* * *

Sasuke firmly ignored the guilt that rose in him as he mentioned the previous night's turmoil so flippantly. Despite whatever emotional attachment he might form with the fox demon, he couldn't let himself forget that Naruto—that _Kyuubi_—was just that. A demon. His genie. A tool that he was supposed to _use_, dammit. 

And it was past time he found out just how powerful his new tool was.

His opponent glared at him through blood red eyes, his hair wild with anger. At every taunt from the Uchiha, the other man had seemed to grow a little bigger. It made Sasuke wonder what the upper limits to the demon's power were. Twitching his fingers, Sasuke summoned some of his chakra into his fingertips.

_Let's see what this demon is made of._

Without warning, Sasuke shot forward. Snapping a blade into his hand, he struck out at the blond's neck. For a moment, it looked like the blade would strike, and Sasuke felt a crushing disappointment.

Then Naruto disappeared.

Grinding to a halt, Sasuke used his Sharingan to follow the faint wisps of chakra left behind by the demon. He barely had a half second of warning before dashing to the side—and the ground he was standing upon moments before detonated. Ignoring the debris, he dashed around the small crater and hurled himself at the demon standing only a few feet away. Focusing his energy, he teleported himself behind his opponent while leaving a double in his stead.

Red eyes swiveled around to glare at him. A foot struck out at the real Sasuke just as another Kyuubi—a very convincing clone—dispatched Sasuke's double. Dodging, Sasuke smirked.

"Not bad, Naruto," he called out. "But let's see how you fare against our best techniques."

The anger faded immediately from the demon's eyes, leaving only two widened red orbs behind. He raised his hands, palms out.

"Wait, Sasuke, you really don't want to—"

"Mangekyou!"

Sasuke noticed immediately that something was wrong. Despite the fact that his Mangekyou was not as powerful or refined as his brother's, he'd always been able to pull his victim, especially a non-Uchiha, into a dream world of his own making.

This was not of his own making.

Sasuke found himself trapped in a tremendous darkened sewer, a barred door preventing him from entering the murky hallway. He could hear the steady sound of water dripping outside the cell he was trapped in, and in a sudden burst of panic, he raced toward the tremendous bars and tugged at them uselessly.

"_**UCHIHA SASUKE.**_"

Freezing, Sasuke felt his heart begin pounding fitfully as a terrible voice thundered through him. Swallowing hard, he slowly turned around. A low, rumbling growl reverberated through the cell, shaking even the mighty bars behind him. Against his will, Sasuke took a step back.

"_**YOU…FOOL!!**_" A pair of gigantic red eyes, each larger than Sasuke himself, pierced through the darkness. "_**HAVE YOU NO IDEA WHAT POWER YOU TOY WITH??**_"

Searing hot air came screaming through the darkness, throwing Sasuke bodily against the bars. Gasping, he dropped heavily to the ground. He started shaking uncontrollably.

"It's just Naruto," he tried to remind himself. "He can't kill me. It's just—"

"_**I AM KYUUBI NO KITSUNE, YOU IGNORANT FOOL!! I AM THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL THE DEMONS TO WALK THIS EARTH!!**_"

Abruptly, the darkness was washed away, replaced by a being of swirling fire so immense that Sasuke found himself crumpling to the ground in fear. Kyuubi towered over him, not even wreathed in flames so much as _one_ with them, and a mighty roar shook the cell. Hands up defensively, Sasuke tried vainly to ward off the fire that lapped at him. Nine tails, each longer than the street Sasuke lived on, pounded furiously at the ground. Unbidden, Sasuke felt screams torn helplessly from his throat as he tried to scramble backwards out of the cell.

"_**YOU IGNORE MY WARNINGS, YOU SUMMON ME WITHOUT ANY REGARD FOR MY SKILL OR POWER. HOW DARE YOU, YOU INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE RODENT!!**_"

One fiery hand closed about him, searing him through to the bone. Still screaming mindlessly, Sasuke felt himself get lifted high, higher, impossibly high until he was looking the terrible demon in the eyes. Kyuubi roared again.

"_**I SHOULD DESTROY YOU HERE AND NOW! LEAVE YOU LITTLE MORE THAN A MINDLESS SHELL!**_"

At some point, Sasuke became aware that he was shouting mindless pleas and apologies between his incessant screams, but the pain screaming throughout him blotted out any further sense. The fiery being, the _god_, continued to glare at him through those horrid red eyes. Tears were streaming down Sasuke's cheeks as he desperately struggled, unable to bear the monster's heat nor his gaze.

And then, abruptly, the eyes turned blue.

"_**SASUKE.**_" A loud, windy sigh echoed throughout the chamber. "_**I'M SORRY**_."

And, as suddenly as he arrived there, Sasuke was cast out of that terrifying world.

* * *

"…'asuke. Sasuke!" 

Someone was shaking him.

"Oh god… Sasuke! C'mon, open your eyes! Please? Sasuke!"

Groaning heavily, Sasuke lifted a weak hand to bat away the hands that were so forcefully shaking his shoulders. They clasped said hand immediately.

"Sasuke! Are you awake? Are you alright?? Talk to me!"

"For god's sake, Naruto, shut _up!_" Sasuke rasped unthinkingly. He peeled his eyes open, slowly focusing on the blue eyes before him.

And panicked.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!" he heard himself shout, hauling his mostly uncooperative body several paces away from the demon. "STAY BACK!!"

Even through his sudden, all-consuming fear, he could make out the crushed expression on Naruto—Kyuubi—_Naruto's_ face. The demon slowly reached out towards him, palms up.

"Sasuke, it's okay. I'm not…I'm not going to hurt you." He paused when Sasuke struggled to move further away. The broad shoulders slumped. "You're terrified of me," he stated in a glum voice.

"Terrified?!" Sasuke rasped out. "You're a…you're a…!"

"Demon?"

Sasuke froze. Of course. Oh, gods above, he was an idiot. What had he been thinking?? That because Naruto had an annoying little kid mentality, he wasn't as powerful as a _demon_ by all rights _should_ be? Sasuke shuddered, only to find that he couldn't quite stop shaking afterwards. No. Even considering the fact that Kyuubi was a demon, that insane level of power…was unreasonable. Unfathomable. Dear god.

What had he done?! Itachi must have known how powerful the demon was, and he had clearly been smart enough not to tamper with it. But no, _Sasuke_ would never think that through, would he? He'd gone ahead and unleashed a monster so powerful that it could probably destroy him with a _thought_. Sasuke's shaking grew worse. How could he have ever imagined himself capable of controlling such a fantastic beast?? It couldn't be done!

"… 'suke! SASUKE! Dammit, snap out of it!"

The familiar, irritated voice broke through the Uchiha's haze, and he found himself focusing on the man before him. Naruto was pouting again, concern, anxiety, and a hint of anger on his features.

"I _told_ you that sparring with me was a bad idea. I _always_ tell you Uchihas that it's a bad idea. Not _once_ have any of you _listened_ to me."

Sasuke blinked at the demon's whine. Despite the clear, fresh memories of the monster in the cell, Naruto's childish tone slowly brought an end to Sasuke's uncontrolled trembling. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the blond man carefully.

Naruto said himself that he couldn't kill Sasuke because he'd be put back into confinement, but before they sparred, he'd said that there was no rule against _harming_ Sasuke. The brunet shivered again. In short, Naruto, as Kyuubi no Kitsune, could have simply destroyed Sasuke's mind when the Uchiha had been so foolish as to enter his head. Sasuke's body would have lived on, and Naruto would have been essentially freed. The Uchiha swallowed with difficulty.

"Why didn't you?" he found himself asking. Understandably, Naruto's eyebrows puckered with confusion.

"Why didn't I what?"

"Destroy me? You could have…you could have wrecked my mind. You wouldn't even have to deal with me anymore. I handed you the perfect opportunity." Gathering himself, he managed to pin the other man with his gaze. "Why didn't you?"

Silence fell between them. Naruto lowered his eyes for a moment, then brought them back up, all seriousness in the blue depths.

"Because… Because you're different. You didn't take joy in hurting me, you haven't tried to lock me away like an animal. You're not like any master I've ever had." He looked away. "It wouldn't be right to repay such…kindness…with a betrayal."

When the blond looked at him again, Sasuke was floored to realize that in the demon's world, it really was as simple as that. Because Sasuke hadn't been cruel, he'd lived when his own stupidity should have seen him dead—at least mentally.

Swallowing hard, Sasuke nodded shortly. "Just…help me stand up, will you?"

Naruto nodded eagerly, moving forward to gingerly wrap one of Sasuke's arms over his shoulders. Slowly, he straightened, allowing the weary Uchiha to lean upon him when his legs refused to cooperate. Sasuke remained silent as Naruto muttered encouraging words, choosing to stare at his companion at close range. He certainly didn't _look_ like a terrible, evil being capable of ripping Sasuke to shreds. Hell, he didn't even look like someone who'd been around for "a few hundred years." Even with the wild quality to Naruto's features, there was still something soft about his face, his manners, that Sasuke wasn't entirely sure could be faked. Frowning, he lowered his gaze.

_So which one is real? The childish moron who's addicted to my television, or the monster in his head?_

Shaking his head, Sasuke gave up on trying to decipher his companion. "Naruto…"

"Yes?"

"I wish we were home."

Blond hair tickled his face as Naruto turned to look at him. The demon's lips quirked into a small smile.

"Your wish is my command."

With a familiar _zzzzZAP_, they disappeared.


	7. The Spotless Mind

**Author's note:**** Sorry about the wait. I went and pretty much plotted out the rest of the story...and then got attacked by the anti-muse again. Then, yesterday, I read my story again...and finally saw why everyone's been enjoying it. _I_ finally like it, lol. And I'm really, really going to have fun with where it's going. As with all of my chapters, this one came to me very quickly--but unlike my other chapters, this one was written on a very finicky laptop (with very finicky vista, damn microsoft anyway), so feel free to point out any errors.**

**And, um, Merry Christmas? Soon anyway, for everyone who celebrates it. For everyone else, Happy mid/end of Hanukkah, enjoy Kwanzaa or whatever else you happen to celebrate this time of year, and joyful Pagan holidays to all!**

**And a rockin' New Year. XD**

**Enjoy. **

* * *

Naruto had always wondered what his magic felt like to humans. Few of his masters had been of the chatty sort—check, _Uchiha_—and the few who _had_ liked to speak were usually talking more to themselves than to him, so he'd never gotten the chance to ask. Did it feel like an electrical current, like lightning? Maybe like a breeze blowing over them? Or maybe it felt like nothing at all. Humans had never been known for their sensitivity, after all. 

As he granted Sasuke's wish to return home, the painful enslavement ring on his finger relaxed an infinitesimal amount, releasing the hold on Naruto's power and letting it wash over him. In that split second, Naruto sighed with relief; as much as he grumbled about granting wishes—and who wouldn't, with the idiocy humans could usually come up with—it was sometimes the only moments he felt like _himself_. It took him back to when he was young, and the world was fresh and new, teeming with energy at his very fingertips. Back when demons were everywhere, and he could play with the wind spirits one minute; alternatively torment and flee from water sprites the next; and spend most of his time remembering not to argue with the trees, because they never, ever shut up once they got going.

…But none of that was now, was it?

Courtesy of being under enslavement, Naruto rarely even had to focus to grant a wish. While he was daydreaming, two tendrils of chakra raced from him, giving him a high-speed, frenetic glance at the distance he had to cross before they latched firmly onto the living room in Sasuke's home. In the next instant, Naruto and Sasuke ceased to exist on the same plane as everything "natural," fading into the supernatural currents and streams that still wove their way over the earth. Unbidden, Naruto grinned.

_Now comes the cool part._

The real world seemed almost superimposed over the one they travelled in, colors and sounds racing by faster than the mind could interpret them. Unseen fingers drifted over them as they passed, some warm and comforting, others clammy and grasping. Excited, Naruto glanced over at his companion, but his smile dimmed instantly. Sasuke's eyes were open, but blank, held in the first moment before travel. Sighing, Naruto shifted his grip on the other man, angling his feet forward to absorb the shock of landing.

Not for the first time, he wished that he could share the supernatural realm with someone. Preferably someone not out to kill him.

Sasuke was many things, but Naruto was beginning to believe that _maybe_ the little prick wasn't out for Naruto's head on a platter.

…Maybe.

Less than half a second after they had left the real world, Naruto and Sasuke rematerialized in his living room. Sasuke spent a moment blinking confusedly at the familiar, sparsely decorated walls. Naruto kept his arm tight around his master, frowning concernedly.

"…Sasuke?" he asked tentatively. The other man didn't face him.

"That was an odd way to travel." Sasuke frowned slightly. "I think my heart stopped."

"What??" Eyebrows flying up on his forehead, Naruto placed his free hand over Sasuke's chest. With _his_ luck, Sasuke really would have suffered a heart attack, and Naruto didn't know that "CPR" thing they'd talked about on the terribision, and, and…the bastard was lying his_ ass_ off.

Naruto scowled at the perfectly normal heartbeat under his fingertips. The little bastard Uchiha smirked at him.

"Idiot," Sasuke stated derisively.

…And then he passed out.

Grunting with surprise at the sudden weight in his arms, Naruto gracelessly dragged his master to the nearest couch and dumped him onto it. He sat down heavily next to Sasuke, making the couch squeak in protest. Exhaling sharply through his nostrils, he stared down at the young man's face. Sasuke's eyebrows were pinched, pain tightening the corners of his eyes. Naruto winced.

_After mucking with his mind the way I did, I'm not surprised that he hurts._ Biting his lip, the blond demon reached a hesitant hand towards Sasuke's temple. He could, technically, fix the damage that had been done to Sasuke's mind, but would that help, or just make matters worse between them? Guilt engaged in a sumo wrestling match in his throat, forcing him to swallow with difficulty. Naruto wished that he could say, with full honesty, that he hadn't meant to hurt the brunet.

But the truth was, he_ had_.

Instinct had completely taken over the moment Sasuke's mind had latched onto his own. He_ had_ wanted to hurt the other man, wanted to destroy him, just so that he could claim a few precious decades for his own before he was sent back into confinement for the next couple hundred years.

But then…something had happened. When he held up the other man in the prison of his mind, saw Sasuke screaming, all he could feel was…sad. Pathetic. Here he was, some "great" demon, and he was about to kill a man whose only mistake was being born into the Uchiha family…and being an idiot. And really, Sasuke hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment…yet.

Sighing, Naruto ran his fingertips lightly through the soft hair at Sasuke's temple. Maybe he would regret his actions later, but…right now, he felt like he had to make it up to Sasuke.

Though if the Uchiha ever found out, Naruto would go out back and shoot himself.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, Naruto leaned forward, placing one hand on each of Sasuke's temples and then sliding each hand forward. Healing chakra warmed his fingertips as they buried themselves in the Uchiha's thick raven locks. In his mind's eye, Naruto could see the chakra stealing into Sasuke's head, racing over the many contours of his brain. He winced visibly at the multitude of scarring, even though some of it seemed to be far older than the ones he created.

Naruto shook his head firmly, then leaned even closer, sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth.

_Right, then. Here we go!_

* * *

The first thing to strike Sasuke as odd was the smell of grass. It tickled his nose, sharper than it should have been, considering that Sasuke wasn't outside. The bridge of his nose wrinkling, Sasuke forced his surprisingly heavy eyes to open. 

Sunlight poured down over him, dappled by the leaves of the large, slightly odd tree above him. Its limbs were gnarled so deeply that he wasn't entirely sure it could have been formed by nature.

But then, Sasuke was fairly sure this wasn't a "natural" place.

He could feel the tall grass around him swaying in the slight breeze, bringing his gaze down to the steeply sloping hill he rested upon. A landscape of sharply rolling hills and fields stretched out before him, dappled here and there with impenetrable, dark forests. The sky above him swirled anxiously, brilliant clear blue smeared with roiling purple thunderstorms. The storms seemed isolated, drifting across the blue sky to merge and separate from each other.

In all his long, twenty one years on the planet, he'd never seen the sky do that.

Frowning, Sasuke tried to lift his head…and found that he couldn't. He couldn't move anything. His breathing growing rapid, he desperately forced his fingertips to twitch, but he couldn't get them to do any more than that.

How was he supposed to figure out where he was if he couldn't _move_??

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, killer."

Despite himself, the familiar voice forced Sasuke to relax immediately. After a moment, a pair of feet appeared next to him, toes wiggling in the grass. Blinking, Sasuke looked up.

Naruto stood before him, arms folded lightly over his broad chest. He was dressed in what looked like a bastardization of Heian era clothing—broad, thick silk pants in deep blue, topped by a single white kimono jacket embroidered with gold and orange flames. The jacket rested so casually on his bare chest that it seemed ready to slide off at any moment, baring most of his torso to the seemingly paralyzed Uchiha.

What caught Sasuke off guard the most, however, was the man's face. Naruto's hair was at least twice as wild as before, sharp blonde mixed throughout with fierce red streaks in a fiery mass that tumbled past his shoulders. A pair of long, pointed ears poked out of the crazed locks, twitching lightly in the breeze. His cheeks were unmarked, highlighted instead by sharper cheekbones. The man's entire face seemed…otherworldly.

And his _eyes_…

Naruto's eyes were as chaotic as the churning sky above. Red clashed constantly with blue, occasionally resulting in a tremulous violet as he gazed down at the frozen Uchiha. After a long moment, the fox-demon gave Sasuke a quirky smile.

"I wouldn't try moving too much, Sasuke. I don't know if your mind can take the added strain right now."

Sasuke blinked at him. "My mind? What does my mind have to do with it?"

The other man laughed, deep reverberations shivering through the grass at his feet…and through Sasuke himself. "Your mind has everything to do with it. You see…" Grinning mischievously, Naruto squatted down beside him. "That's where we are."

"…We're in my mind?" Sasuke could forgive himself for sounding incredulous. If he was going to imagine his own mind as anything, it certainly wasn't trees and sunshine.

Chuckling again, Naruto shifted to settle cross-legged on the ground behind Sasuke. Moments later, gentle hands slid down to cup the bottom of Sasuke's head, lifting gingerly to place his head in the fox-demon's lap. Sasuke blushed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke demanded roughly, embarrassed by his position, but unable to _move_ enough to rectify it. Fingers combed through his hair, a sensation that was surprisingly comforting. Above him, Naruto's lips quirked into a wry smile.

"That's a two-fold question, Sasuke. Do you mean what am I doing with your head in my lap, or what am I doing in your mind?"

The Uchiha scowled. "Both."

Naruto sighed, glancing out over the rolling hills. His fingers continued combing through Sasuke's hair, brushing over his scalp in soothing motions.

"I'm actually trying to heal your mind right now, Sasuke," he informed quietly. "I caused some scars during our…sparring session. I wanted to set them right."

Sasuke took a moment to digest that. "But if that's the case, then what's this world? Why are we here?"

"If I had to guess, and it looks like I do," Naruto began with a saucy wink, "this is the result of your mind interpreting what I'm doing to it. You could feel me in your head, bright, stubborn Uchiha that you are, and interpreted the situation as…this." The man looked around, then grinned down at Sasuke. "And I have to admit, your mind is a surprisingly pretty place."

The Uchiha heir snorted. "And yours isn't, oh great peppy one?"

Naruto sobered slightly. "You've already seen mine, Sasuke. It's not very nice."

…_True enough_. Sasuke had to frown, though, at what could make such a bright and (irritating) friendly person craft such a dark place in his thoughts, when Sasuke, the dark avenger, apparently resided in Happy Bunny Land. It was unmanning. Eyes narrowed, he glared up at the previously-blond man.

"And my head in your lap?" he questioned warily.

Naruto blinked down at him, a slow, feral grin sliding across his lips. "Well, it seemed like it would be comfortable…"

When the blond trailed off, Sasuke slowly began to relax.

"…And I'd _finally_ get to pet all that pretty hair!"

Sasuke's groan echoed over the hills.

* * *

Konoha's prisons were pathetic. Hands bound rather ineffectually behind him, the sole remaining member of the attacking Sound unit contemplated the cold, sterile cell he had been placed in. His white hair tumbled into his eyes as he tipped his head forward, listening to the low murmurs of the nearby guards. Honestly, how untrained _were_ they? Any information given to a captive was dangerous information if said captive escaped. 

Temae was very good at escaping.

As the idiots near his cell gossiped about dinner and other ninja, a pair of hands sprouted from his forearms and reached down, untying the ropes in a matter of moments. Retracting the hands, he clasped his real fingers behind him, just in case someone happened to glance into his cell.

The mission had been a bust, though Temae had partially expected that. Koe had been known to be an idiot, albeit a startlingly talented homicidal one. Kuchi, however, had been a bit of a surprise, gathering the three of them together with a manic glint in his eye and stories of their strange mission from Orochimaru-sama. Temae had been skeptical, since their orders—basically, to run in there and mess up the place—hadn't seemed in keeping with the crafty Orochimaru-sama's plans. Surely, the man could come up with something more interesting than _that_.

But Temae had conceded with a shrug, since Kuchi was his team leader, and it wasn't his position to question him.

As he sat in his cell, however, he began to wonder. What could be so interesting about this pathetic little village of do-gooders that Orochimaru-sama would send over three particularly talented ninjas? Three wasn't enough to take down a village without serious planning and a covert invasion, neither of which had been on their agenda. Why would the great Orochimaru-sama even care, much less care enough to waste his resources?

Unnoticed by Temae or the guards outside, twin wisps of golden chakra swept along the floor of the prison. They paused behind the white-haired man, spinning in place for a moment before racing up his arms in a flash. Temae barely flinched as the chakra burrowed into his normally grey eyes, flooding them with brilliant gold.

The man's head sagged forward, as though weighted down by his memories. After a few moments of intense thought, his head snapped up in realization.

That _blond_.

During the rather short battle, the tide had been flowing in Sound's favor until the blond man with strange chakra had shown up. That chakra had changed everything, disrupting the rhythm of the Sound ninjas. Temae could remember how that energy felt, scraping against his nerves with unnatural heat. No one from a backwater village like the one he_ claimed_ to be a part of could hold such immense, strange power. Even if the halfwits from Konoha _had_ bought the blond's bullshit story.

And the man claimed to know the Uchiha boy, a claim which had not been refuted.

Interesting.

Perhaps _this_ is what Orochimaru-sama had wanted. Not infiltration and destruction, but _information_. Orochimaru-sama had been interested in the Uchiha brat for nearly a decade, ever since failing to recruit him when the boy was twelve. Perhaps he wanted revenge.

Or perhaps he wanted to take his little blond friend from him.

The golden chakra in Temae's eyes glinted manically in the dim light of his cell. Without further hesitation, he placed his hands before him and began a complex set of seals. While it wasn't his place to question Orochimaru-sama's desires, it _was_ his duty to relay information to his sovereign.

Grinning in a manner most unlike the normally reserved ninja, Temae disappeared in a cloud of wispy grey smoke.

* * *

The rich scent of incense filled the air as Orochimaru relaxed against the many cushions behind him. As always when alone, he kept his eyes firmly shut. The emptiness of his meditation room rang out louder than any other noise could have, hollowing out his ears. 

He could almost hear** them**.

Oh, he could _see_** them **well enough, even when the others were around. His minions served as a fair distraction from **their** antics, and the blindly trusting idiots never seemed to realize why they never had his full attention. Orochimaru simply allowed them to think that he was naturally aloof, and it worked well for him as a leader.

But one person had managed to completely distract him from **them**. If only for a short while.

And then Orochimaru lost him.

And **they** grew in numbers.

Jiraiya, the perverted moron, had managed to distract him to some extent when he was young. At first, Orochimaru had felt slightly grateful to the other man for paying attention to the weird, snake-like kid with no family and a strange, unknown bloodline ability. Jiraiya never said a word about the screaming fits Orochimaru would have late at night on one training mission or another.

And thank god Orochimaru had grown out of the lisp _long_ before they parted ways in anger. It was worth avoiding the other man just for _that_ knowledge alone.

But as helpful as Jiraiya was, as helpful as the blundering fool had tried to be, he couldn't make **them** go away. He probably couldn't even understand who **they** were. He'd certainly never understood Orochimaru's fall into desperation, searching for any and all jutsu that could save him from **them**.

Uchiha Sasuke, however… _He_ may have been the key. The key to ending everything.

And the little bastard got away! Running back to his do-gooder village without so much as a by-your-leave, claiming that he felt that the key to power lay somewhere in his village, rather than with the power Orochimaru handed over on a silver fucking platter.

Pissant little asshole.

Should've fucked him when he had the chance. See how fast the little bastard ran away _then_.

A light knock on the door jarred Orochimaru out of his thoughts, swinging his irritable gaze towards the intruder. He ignored the moving shadows in the corner.

"What??" he snarled. After a hesitant moment, the door slid open, revealing a non-descript ninja with long brown hair. The ninja kneeled on the floor and bowed his head.

"I humbly apologize, Orochimaru-sama. I bring urgent news of the attack on Konoha." The ninja's shoulders tensed. "I'm afraid it…failed, my lord."

Orochimaru stared at him. "…Yes, well. I will deal with the issue myself. You may go."

Needing no further permission, the ninja bowed and backed out of the room quickly, shutting the door behind him. Frowning, Orochimaru stared at the ninja's vacated spot. He could feel **them** laughing at him.

…_**What**__ attack on Konoha?_

* * *

Sasuke's mind really was a surprisingly peaceful place, Naruto mused. The other man had finally relaxed, eyes half closed as he allowed Naruto to run his fingers through his hair. The storm clouds above trembled and shook as red chakra licked at them, burning them away until nothing but blue sky remained. The breeze around them turned sweet, carrying the faint scent of fruit before they ran off to play with the leaves in the gnarled tree above. 

It was a truly strange experience, being in three consciousnesses at the same time. Naruto was aware of his true body, unlike Sasuke, but he was also aware of himself not only as a being in Sasuke's mind, but as the chakra healing the damage wrought to it. It was just…weird.

Like…taffy pulled in three directions at once.

Not that Naruto had ever liked taffy much.

Shaking his head to collect his errant thoughts, Naruto tried to concentrate on the job at hand. Small snippets of memory, _Sasuke's_ memory, kept leaking into him as he repaired the scars. Really, Naruto had enough personality complexes without seeing himself as the giant burning hell demon that Sasuke had seen.

When most of the fresh scars had been cleared, Naruto frowned pensively at the sky. Several dark storm clouds remained, including one large one that seemed to dominate an entire corner of the sky. Clearly, it was one that had been created long before Naruto had entered his life, but to see something sitting there, _festering_ in this young man's head…

Maybe he was a sap, but he wanted to _do_ something about it.

Frown deepening, he looked down at the seemingly content man before him. As the scar clouds had vanished, Sasuke had regained some mobility, though intriguingly, the man hadn't removed himself from Naruto's lap. A piece of plucked grass was being twirled idly through Sasuke's fingers as the Uchiha gazed out over the fields at something Naruto couldn't see. After a moment, Naruto cleared his throat.

"Um, Sasuke…"

Sasuke started slightly, as though he'd forgotten that Naruto was there. The porcelain cheeks began to redden…and damn if it wasn't adorable. Both men grew uncomfortable, shifting slightly.

"Naruto…" The Uchiha paused, mouth opening, then shutting as his face turned a deeper shade of red. "You said that you were working on my head."

The fox demon blinked down at him. "Um, yeah. I am."

"Then why does…" Sasuke trailed off again, then scowled self-consciously. "Why is my chest all warm?"

"Huh??" Naruto lifted an incredulous eyebrow. "Are you suffering an attack of the fuzzy wuzzies, or something?"

"No!" A hand flew up to swat him with surprising strength. Naruto winced.

_Yep, he's feeling better, alright._

Sasuke scowled up at him. "It feels like _your_ chakra, dipshit. But it's making my _chest_ warm, not my head."

Naruto couldn't help it—he stared. "Like…like a flame or something?" he asked weakly.

Sasuke nodded. "What does it mean?"

_A sign of bonding. Oh god._ Swallowing hard, Naruto smiled at him weakly. "Nothing much. I think you're just overcome with _affection_ for me."

_Or maybe I'm getting tied to you even more tightly, and my chances of getting free have been reduced by half. __**Fuck.**_

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he didn't push the issue. Harrumphing, the brunet returned his gaze to the sky. He pointed at the large storm cloud that Naruto had hesitated before touching.

"Why haven't you fixed that one yet?"

Eyebrows rising, Naruto looked down at him. "I'm surprised you're giving me so much free reign in your mind, Sasuke."

Visibly uncomfortable, the Uchiha heir shrugged stiffly. "Well, the little you've done has made me feel a lot stronger already. I don't see why you shouldn't just clean it all up…unless there's something you're not telling me."

"I cleaned up all the scars that _I_ created, Sasuke. I'm not so sure I can heal the others."

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest, frowning pensively. "If you heal it, will I grow stronger?"

"…Possibly. Whatever it is, it's probably clouding your mind—no pun intended—at inopportune moments."

The Uchiha made a face at Naruto's comment, then reluctantly nodded. "Alright then, give it a try."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto stretched his healing chakra towards the large scar cloud. Surprisingly, bits of cloud lashed out at him as he approached it, causing him to retract the chakra fingers. Biting his lip, he dipped the chakra into the cloud.

"_Mother?? Father?? Where are you?"_

"_Where is everyone??"_

_Blood. Blood everywhere. In the streets, on walls, pearling up on shattered windows. Bodies were strewn carelessly everywhere._

"_Mother…Father…"_

_The stench. Oh god, the stench. The fear choked him, clawed at his throat until he couldn't breathe—_

"_Aniki…"_

_Blood red eyes. They didn't even look like the Sharingan, they were so red. They stared at him, FOLLOWED him._

"_Don't kill me! Don't kill me, Aniki, please!"_

"_NOOOOOOOO!!!"_

With a horrified gasp, Naruto threw himself out of the cloud—and out of Sasuke's head.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes shot open, and he found himself gasping for breath on his couch. A loud_ thud_ sounded from the floor next to him. Hands shaking, he gingerly sat up on the couch. Naruto lay sprawled on the floor, blond hair wild as though it had been shot through with electricity. The cerulean eyes were wide, darting about the room. Sasuke winced, lifting a hand to his gently throbbing head.

"Naruto, what the fuck just happened?" he demanded. He couldn't remember much, aside from some fields, clouds, and hands running through his hair. And then it had all just…stopped.

The blond didn't reply, breathing heavily and staring up at the ceiling as if it held all the world's answers. Both palms lay flat against the carpeted floor, fingers digging into the fabric. Eyebrows furrowing, Sasuke placed his feet on the floor and leaned forward.

"…Naruto?"

Abruptly, the man blinked and sat up, staring at Sasuke with an unreadable expression. His whiskered face was sheet white. Concerned despite himself, Sasuke reached out.

"Naruto, are you alright? What happened?"

"…I couldn't fix it." The words were quiet, harsh as they spilled out of the blond's throat. "I'm sorry."

Somehow, Sasuke got the feeling that Naruto was saying more than what those words implied. Before he could open his mouth, Naruto bowed his head, blond hair shielding his face from view.

"_I'm so sorry_,_ Sasuke_."

And with those agonized words, Naruto smoothly transformed back into a fox and raced out of the room, leaving Sasuke confused, tense, and silent.

* * *

The non-descript brown-haired ninja slipped as easily out of Orochimaru's headquarters as he'd slipped in. Frowning, the man stole into the surrounding woods and let his illusion wear off, revealing his black and red Akatsuki cloak. 

Orochimaru had had no idea what Itachi was talking about. He clearly hadn't planned the attack on Konoha, even though it had been his troops. Who, then, _had_ planned the attack? And how did they get past the Sound's incomprehensibly strong loyalty to Orochimaru?

As he ran through the forest, the small flame from the fox demon abruptly flared in his chest, bringing him to his knees in agony. Gasping, he clutched at the material over his chest. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out his harsh breathing.

Was he finally going to die?

As suddenly as the heat began, it died down, settling in the center of his heart like a smoldering ember. Hands trembling lightly, he stroked his chest.

He remembered this chakra. This heat.

And he remembered his vow that the next time this particular fire entered the world…it would be the last.

* * *

**Author's note the second:**** Thanks for all the lovely, thoughtful reviews, by the way. They really helped when I was trying to fight off the anti-muse (and reading mercedes lackey didn't help, since I practically have the world reorient itself when I read her novels), and I wuv each and every one of you. **

**In other news, two points to each person who figured out how and why I was making fun of Kishimoto with Koe and Kuchi when they first read those names, and ten points to the person who gets both gags in Temae's name. Hehehe.  
**


	8. Interference

**Author's note:**** Don't have a heart attack, keep breathing, and no, you're not dreaming. This is an honest-to-god update. See what happens when I decide that I actually like the stories I'm writing? I had so much fun with this chapter that I actually said, "This is _so cool!_" while I was writing it. I want feedback on this chapter, because I loved reading your guesses last time!**

**Seven points to ihearttoast for getting the meanings of the names and one of the two gags for Temae's name, Seven to Emikokitsune for the same reason (the other half of the Temae joke), Five to DreamTimeTails for half of the Temae gags, and Five to Queenphoenix for the other half of the Temae gags. The answer is that Koe means voice, and his skill was screaming; Kuchi means mouth, so his skill was making mouthes; and Temae in kanji is "hand + before," hence the extra hands, but it can also be pronounced "Teme," the vulgar "you." In all of that, I'm making fun of Kishimoto's ability to give his characters some of the dumbest names I've ever seen: spiral fishcake, springtime cherry blossom (Sakura), Deerboy (from) Nara (Shikamaru, and Nara is famous for deer), etc etc. Love you all!**

**This chapter is dedicated to the vunderbar Shinigami-lashae, with thanks for her lovely fanart. ****:-) She did the first fanart ever for Fox Magic. Wuvs!! **

**http// shinigami-lashae . deviantart . com / art / F-O-X-M-A-G-I-C-naruto-41425066 (remove the spaces, add a colon after http because ff sucks)  
**

**Enjoy. **

* * *

Sasuke paused in the open doorway to his darkening bedroom, one hand reaching towards the light switch on the wall. With a gentle flick, the yellow light spilled over the room and banished the early evening darkness. As he'd suspected, Kyuubi lay curled up on his bed, face buried in his multitudinous tails. Sighing in a put-upon manner, Sasuke strode to the side of the bed, folded his arms over his chest, and glared down at the fox. 

"Kyuubi, you mind telling me what the hell that was about?"

The fox didn't move a muscle. He was so still that Sasuke found himself staring at the fox's side, just to make sure that it was expanding and contracting with the demon's breath. Frowning, Sasuke unfolded his arms and gingerly sat on the bed.

"Kyuubi?" When he still received no reply, Sasuke reached out and placed a hand upon Kyuubi's back. The fox flinched, but still said nothing. Huffing, Sasuke folded his arms over his chest again and thought. Memories of their time spent in his head began to filter back to him, up until the moment when Naruto had tried to heal that giant scar cloud in his mind.

…Oh.

"That cloud," Sasuke began slowly. "That had to do with my family dying, didn't it?"

Kyuubi curled into a tighter ball. Sasuke frowned down at him. "Then why are _you_ so upset? You were still trapped in your box, right?" Kyuubi nodded beneath his tails, causing them to bob and slide apart. "Then you shouldn't be apologizing to me. Itachi's the one who ruined my life, not you."

Silence settled upon the room as Kyuubi rearranged his tails, covering his head more thoroughly.

"…Feels like it's my fault," the fox finally muttered. Surprised, Sasuke blinked and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, well, it isn't. So stop acting like a sopping wet baby."

" 'M not acting like a baby," Kyuubi grumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke once again placed his hand on Kyuubi's back, rubbing his flank gently with his thumb. Kyuubi twitched.

"You _are _acting like a baby, Mr. Couple-of-Centuries-Old. Now stop hiding in your tails. You look ridiculous."

When the fox stubbornly refused to withdraw his head, Sasuke glowered down at him. "Don't make me do something drastic, Kyuubi."

In response, Kyuubi defiantly curled up into a tighter ball, until all that could be seen of him was his tails. Sasuke shook his head.

"Alright. You asked for it."

Leaning over, Sasuke buried his hands in the thick bundle of tails, ignoring the little yelp from Kyuubi. Managing to slide his hands underneath the fox's front legs, he hauled Kyuubi up into the air. The fox's tails dropped down by default, leaving a bewildered vulpine face in their wake. Still holding the limp fox aloft, Sasuke awkwardly climbed the rest of the way onto the bed, leaned against the headboard, and pulled the fox into his chest, arms folded under Kyuubi's front legs. Kyuubi's tails dangled between Sasuke's raised knees.

Kyuubi's confusion practically radiated throughout the room. Sasuke smirked.

"You're the one who wanted to be my _pet_ so badly," he stated imperiously. "I'm sure you can deal with the indignity of being 'cuddled.'"

"Wha— You— Put me down!!" Kyuubi squirmed in his grasp, but Sasuke's position under his forelegs kept him from getting very far. "This is so… Argh! You're an Uchiha! You're not supposed to want to _cuddle_ with me!"

"Who said I _wanted_ to?" Sasuke challenged. "I can't punish you through normal means, because I almost killed you the last time. Humiliating you seems to be fair enough."

"Nyaaaaaargh! Dammit!" Tails batted ineffectually at Sasuke's legs as the fox demon tried to wriggle away, but Sasuke wasn't a ninja for nothing. With a large huff, Kyuubi eventually gave up, hanging limply from Sasuke's grip. "You really are a bastard, you know that?"

Sasuke snorted, shifting to find a more comfortable position with the fox on his chest. Kyuubi's back was astonishingly warm, almost like Sasuke was cuddling a hot water bottle wrapped in fur. Kyuubi muttered something under his breath, but he didn't try to get away again. Sighing, Sasuke leaned his head back against the headboard and closed his eyes.

"Kyuubi?"

"Ngh."

The Uchiha heir smirked at the disgruntled noise that he got for a reply. "Why were you locked away for so long? With power like yours under our control, I'd think that the Uchiha family would be fighting each other just for the chance to be with you. Why the hell would you end up sealed away long enough for everyone to forget about you?"

Kyuubi didn't reply, shifting uncomfortably. Sasuke squeezed him in warning.

"Well?" Sasuke questioned, eyebrows furrowing. "One hundred and fifty years, as you've said, is a long time. Knowing my family, that's absurd."

After a long moment of tense silence, Kyuubi finally replied. "It _is_ absurd. But imagine, if you will, an entire family of powerful, power-hungry morons. Then toss _me_ into the mix. Whatever Uchiha became my master would undoubtedly become the strongest in the family, right?"

"Right…"

"So imagine someone was chosen to become my master, and it wasn't you. You thought _you_ were better fit to run the family. What would you do?"

Comprehension dawned. "Fight for you. The whole family could dissolve into civil war, just over you."

Kyuubi simply gave a short nod, refraining from commenting further. Sasuke frowned. "Is that what happened? The family broke out into war?"

"Not exactly. The truth of it is, to avoid these…_conflicts_, the heads of the Uchiha family decided to make the position of 'genie's master' a bit less …desirable."

"How?" Sasuke replied incredulously. "I mean, yeah, you're a pain in the ass, but any Uchiha worth his mettle could deal with that. And your master would be able to just wish himself out of whatever trouble the heads of the family chose. How could they make it 'less desirable'?"

Kyuubi paused, then craned his head back to look at Sasuke. His eyes burned red.

"By promising them complete and utter isolation from everything and everyone they held dear."

* * *

Thunder rumbled through the dark valley, lightning screaming across the sky. Rain pounded down in blankets rather than sheets, soaking Itachi to the bone. The normally expressionless man scowled, fighting his cloak as it tried to run off with the wind racing by. Itachi was no fool—if he'd had any warning that this storm was going to appear, he would have gone for shelter. Instead, this storm has cropped up out of a perfectly clear evening sky, almost as though it had appeared purely for Itachi's sake. The next clap of thunder caused even the stones beneath his feet to vibrate. 

Gasping for air in the biting wind, Itachi raced for the sloping rock face beside the valley trail. Several dark patches marred the cliff's face, possibly indicating caves that he could hide in. As soon as he touched the rock wall, the wind changed direction. Pain lanced through him as he was thrown against the jagged surface, the wind howling in his ears.

"What the fuck _is_ this??" he ground out, forcing himself away from the rocks enough to begin to climb. His arms trembled with the strain, alternately clinging to and pushing away from the rocks as the wind tried to batter him against them, then tried to rip him away. If he didn't know better, he'd say that the storm was honestly trying to kill him.

Finally, Itachi managed to drag himself into a small hollow in the cliff face. The cave was barely big enough for him, but the wind was muted and the rain couldn't get in, so he called it a win. Gasping for air, he tucked his legs up against his chest to conserve warmth.

Lightning struck the cliff, momentarily blinding him.

Arms up to shield his face, Itachi found himself praying that the shuddering cliff side wouldn't cause his little hideout to cave in. As much as he wanted to die, this really wasn't the way he wanted to go. When the rocks stopped trembling, he lowered his arms.

The cave had grown larger, stretching out from him on all sides. Mother could have thrown a _dinner party_, it had grown so big. Itachi found shivers racing down his spine. He hadn't been this afraid since—

"Good evening, Uchiha Itachi."

The man in question froze, his heart skipping a beat. He turned slowly to the cave opening.

A tall man stood there, illuminated by the crazed lightning show behind him. His long black hair was tousled by the wind, but his immaculate, grey kimono jacket and pants appeared impervious to the elements. With a slow smirk, the man lifted a hand to his long, thin black beard, stroking it gently.

"I have a favor to ask of you," he stated, his deep, cultured voice filling the cavern. That voice reverberated off the walls and into Itachi's ears, pounding in his head like a god-given decree.

Breathing heavily, Itachi stumbled backwards. His heart was pounding in his chest, pounding so hard that he feared it would soon burst. The edges of his vision turned black.

The man took a step forward, bringing the storm's wind with him. It raced throughout the cavern, howling in Itachi's ears. When the wind departed, it left the cavern with the faint scent of the sea. Itachi fell back against the cave wall, staring up at the strange man with inexplicable fear. The man continued forward, pausing before the elder Uchiha brother.

The man smiled.

Itachi passed out.

* * *

Six-year-old Itachi stared down at his infant brother, who was curled up on a soft blanket, sleeping. His baby brother's tiny lips were open, and Itachi was fairly sure that he was drooling. All in all, Sasuke wasn't what Itachi had thought he would be—he'd heard that babies were loud and smelly, and that his parents would love him less because they had to share some with his new brother. Sasuke was actually a fairly quiet baby, and he was only stinky _some_ of the time. Itachi wasn't entirely sure his parents even liked Sasuke all that much, since the maids took care of the baby more often than they did. Even Itachi wasn't often allowed this close to the baby; he'd snuck in today as soon as the maids were distracted elsewhere, so that he could finally take a good look. Solemnly, Itachi nodded his head. 

"We're brothers," he whispered. "I'll look out for you."

At that moment, Uchiha Itachi decided that he desperately loved his little brother. Nothing would ever be able to come between them, he was sure of it.

As if aware that he was being considered, Sasuke opened his eyes. His face automatically crumpled, and he inhaled as if ready to scream for attention. Quickly, Itachi stuck his hand into the bassinet, touching his baby brother's hand. Sasuke's face cleared immediately, and his large black eyes blinked up at Itachi as his chubby fingers clumsily closed over Itachi's index finger. Itachi smiled.

"Ohayou, little brother," he whispered. "I'm Itachi. I'm your big brother. You can call me 'oniichan' if you want, but only when we're alone, okay? If Father's around, you should call me 'aniki.'"

Sasuke just stared at him. Itachi shook his head.

"You'll get it eventually." He gently tugged at his finger, causing his brother's hand to swing back and forth. "We're going to be a team, you and I. Just the two of us against the world."

Sasuke gave him a big, toothless grin. Itachi chuckled.

"I shouldn't even be in here, because I could get in big trouble. So don't tell the maids, okay?" Itachi mimed being quiet by pressing his fingers against his lips. "Shhhh."

Sasuke gurgled in agreement.

Ever so gently, Itachi pulled his hand free and smiled down at his brother. "Go back to sleep now, Sasuke. I'll sneak in to see you later, okay?"

As if in complete agreement, Sasuke's eyes drooped, and the baby returned to sleep. Activating his Sharingan—and boy, wasn't Father proud when he'd realized that Itachi had developed it so young—Itachi scanned the hallways for the still-absent maids. He snuck cautiously out of the nursery and headed down the hallway. Grinning, he watched as the residual chakra people left behind faded on the walls and floors. Having the Sharingan was just _so cool_, and even though he knew he should deactivate it to give his eyes a rest, Itachi didn't want to. The world looked so _different_ through the Sharingan.

Itachi reached the door for his father's study, and he scanned the interior carefully before entering the room. His father was nowhere in sight. Grinning in a manner most unbefitting an Uchiha, Itachi raced over to his favorite spot in the entire house.

A small patch of wall on the far end of the room, between his father's desk and an old bookcase.

That little patch of wall was always so warm, no matter what season it was. It was even better in the winter, but if he sat against it just right, the warmth from the wall would seep into him, lulling him to sleep. He always felt so refreshed afterwards, even if Father caught him in the room and reprimanded him.

As he'd done a thousand times before, Itachi placed his whole back flat against the wall and sat down, tucking his legs up against his chest and wrapping his arms around them. The warmth in the wall pulsed, spreading into him like a cup of hot chocolate, or Mother's special winter tea. Closing his eyes, Itachi leaned his head back against the wall.

And heard something.

Eyes snapping open, Itachi held still. For a split second, he could swear he'd heard something whispering to him. A few heartbeats later, he heard it again. A faint, faint whisper, but he couldn't make out the words. Frowning, Itachi looked down with his Sharingan.

Tiny red tendrils of chakra were wound about him, flowing through him with the heat that he'd loved so much. Two tendrils reached up, gently touching his ears. That whisper came again.

"…_all of them…"_

Itachi stopped breathing, eyes wide. The two tendrils whispered again, louder than the last time.

"_You have t…—ll all of…" _

Heart pounding, Itachi watched as the two tendrils pulled away from his ears, waving lightly before his face. They paused before his eyes, then slowly, slowly, dipped towards them.

"Itachi! What the hell are you doing in my study?!"

Gasping, Itachi shut off his Sharingan. The warmth about him dissipated instantly. "Father!"

Itachi's father stood before him, arms folded and a glower on his face. Shaken, Itachi staggered to his feet.

"I have told you time and again not to venture into this room without my express permission. Why do you insist on disobeying me?"

"I…I'm sorry, Father, I just…" Unable to help himself, Itachi flung a hand back to gesture wildly at the wall. "Father! What's all of the red chakra in the wall coming from? Why did it…why did it _speak_ to me, Father??"

The head of the Uchiha family froze, his face completely blank.

"…What did you just say?"

"_Red_ chakra!_ Red!_ It's coming out of the wall, right there!" Desperate to prove his point, Itachi reactivated his Sharingan, but the mysterious chakra was gone. Confused and disappointed, he turned to his father. "I… It was there before, Father, I swear! What—"

With a resounding_ crack_, Itachi fell to the ground. One hand flew to his face in shock as he stared up at his father. The older man slowly lowered his shaking hand, then reached down to grab the front of Itachi's shirt. He hefted the frightened six-year-old into the air.

"Don't you ever,_ ever_ come into this room again," he hissed in a deadly tone. Itachi trembled. "I don't want to hear another word about this strange chakra, _do you hear me_?"

"B-But, Father, it—"

Another blow brought tears to Itachi's eyes as his father backhanded him.

"_Do not_ disobey me!"

"I—"

This time, when the hit came, it didn't stop. His father rained blows upon him, even dropping Itachi to the ground so that he could use both hands. Itachi curled into a ball, whimpering in fear. He could taste blood in his mouth, which only frightened him further.

Eventually, his father stopped hitting him, only to grab him and shake him violently. "If I ever catch you in this room again, I'll kill you. Do you understand me??"

It wouldn't be until many, many years had passed that Itachi would be able to recognize the naked terror in his father's voice. As it was, the six-year-old simply nodded. Itachi's father dropped him, ran a shaky hand through his prematurely graying hair, and then stormed out of the room. Itachi lay on the floor for an interminable amount of time, staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, the red chakra spilled out of the wall again, tangling lazily with the young boy's feet. Something within Itachi broke that day.

He resolved to sneak into his father's study at every free opportunity, consequences be damned.

Itachi never snuck into Sasuke's nursery again.

* * *

Sasuke stared at the fox in his lap in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? How could they be isolated, if they were practically all-powerful with you at their side?" 

Kyuubi gave Sasuke a wry smile. "Thank you for the compliment, but it wasn't that simple. The person who decided that all future owners would be isolated was one of my masters. On his deathbed, he was encouraged to wish that all future owners would be unable to defy the wishes of their family members. If their family wanted them locked away, they couldn't use me to break their confinement."

Sasuke frowned. "And even though he died, the wish carried over?"

"Think of it as his Last Will and Testament. I can't revoke a wish once the master has died, even if my next owner makes a contradictory wish."

"Hmm." Thinking on this, Sasuke began to run one hand idly through Kyuubi's fur. The fox started slightly in surprise, then began to wriggle once more. Sasuke looked down at him in irritation, but Kyuubi simply twisted until he was resting on his stomach, then stilled. The fox sighed, blowing a gust of hot air at Sasuke's chin.

The silence that settled was oddly comfortable. Sasuke continued to gently smooth his hand down Kyuubi's back, the fur surprisingly soft under his fingers. Kyuubi remained silent, eyes narrowed to slits.

Abruptly, Sasuke realized that none of this explained why he'd been abandoned. Even if they were isolated for life, wouldn't the promise of power be enough to release him again and again? Confused, Sasuke opened his mouth to ask.

And the doorbell rang.

Sighing, Sasuke unthinkingly slipped a hand under Kyuubi's bottom to support him and stood. Kyuubi huffed in surprise, but other than lifting his forelegs to hook his paws over Sasuke's shoulders, he did nothing. Carrying the fox demon, Sasuke strode to the front door. He opened it with a glower.

"What?" he demanded.

Kiba and Neji stood outside his door, faces grim.

"The Sound ninja escaped," Kiba stated in a disgruntled voice. "We didn't even get anything out of him during his interrogation, since he said it was all his leader's idea. Hell, we don't even know if the attack was officially sanctioned by Orochimaru."

"Since you're the only person in Konoha aside from the Hokage who's had any experience with Orochimaru, we were hoping that you could shed some light on the situation." Neji glanced briefly at the fox in Sasuke's arms, who was staring at him like he was made of chicken. He quirked an eyebrow. "May we come in?"

Nodding shortly, Sasuke stepped back. Kiba looked around with interest as he crossed the threshold.

"Hey, where's Naruto? Is he feeling better after that fiasco yesterday?"

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit._ Sasuke's grip tightened on the fox in his arms, mind racing. He opened his mouth, a lie leaping to his lips.

"I'm right here, Kiba, and I'm fine, thanks."

Words died on Sasuke's lips as he turned to find a pale-faced Naruto standing behind him, leaning against the wall. Sasuke glanced down at the fox in his arms, but Kyuubi was still staring at Neji. With a weak smile, Naruto stepped forward.

"I've been sleeping since the appointment with Tsunade-baachan. What's going on?"

"The ninja we captured escaped," Neji replied succinctly. He frowned slightly at Kyuubi, but the fox barely even blinked.

"Fuck me. Now what do we do?"

"First, we sit you down before you fall down," Kiba stated in a surprising burst of mother-henning. "Then we'll find out what Sasuke knows about their leader."

Disgruntled, Sasuke led them to the kitchen. To his surprise, the cooking contraption that Naruto had created that morning was gone, and his normal cooking stove was back. With a nod at the other seats, he sat down with Kyuubi on his lap. Naruto sat beside him.

"What makes you think that I know anything?" Sasuke challenged. "I haven't seen Orochimaru in almost a decade."

Finally breaking his staring contest with Kyuubi, Neji looked up and frowned at him as he took a seat across the table.

"Orochimaru took you into his fold, and managed to teach you a few techniques before you came back. You must have some understanding of the way he thinks."

Naruto gave him an odd look. "Who's this Orochimaru guy?"

Sasuke scowled, running a hand idly over Kyuubi's head and scratching absentmindedly behind the fox's ears. Kyuubi melted.

Naruto blushed.

"He's a man who used to be a Konoha ninja before he ran off, became a criminal, and started a new country made of outcasts and criminals," Sasuke stated shortly. "When I was twelve, he came to Konoha, started a war between the hidden village of Sand and Konoha, and kidnapped me."

"A-and you came back here?" Naruto asked, coughing into his palm. Lifting an eyebrow, Sasuke deepened the scratching and shifted his other hand to idly smooth the fur on one of his tails. Naruto's blush deepened, and he began to shift uncomfortably. Sasuke smirked.

"Yes." Before he could test his newfound ability to embarrass the fox demon, Kiba cleared his throat loudly enough to make the fox in his lap jump. Kyuubi hopped down from his lap, shooting him a dirty look before flitting under the table.

"So, anyway," Kiba started, eyeing them with an odd look on his face. "Can you think of any reason Orochimaru would just send a tiny group of hostile ninjas like that? What would be the point?"

Sasuke frowned, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. "I can't think of any. It doesn't seem much like him. He's usually sneakier. He could be trying to prove something, but I can't figure out what."

Neji opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by Kyuubi leaping up onto his lap. The fox placed both paws on the flustered Neji's chest, staring up at him for a long moment before playfully nuzzling his chin.

Sasuke scowled furiously. Unbidden, his hands clenched into fists. "Kyuubi, get off of Hyuuga's lap. _Now_."

Grinning like the idiot he was, Naruto turned to him. "Aw, but, Sasuke, it looks like Kyuubi _likes_ him."

Distinctly unamused, Sasuke glared at him. "He'll be 'liking' the bottom of my foot up his ass if he doesn't quit it."

Meanwhile, Kyuubi was still ignoring Neji's protests as he curled up on the man's chest, even leaning forward to nip at the Hyuuga heir's earlobe. Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Neji tried pushing at the animal, but the fox wouldn't budge.

"I'd much prefer it if you'd stop that," Neji declared in a dignified, if strained, tone. Kyuubi gave him a long, longing glance, then sighed and dropped to the floor. Tails swirling behind him, he trotted out of the room.

Naruto leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, grinning mischievously. "It looks like our little fox friend has taken a real shine to you, Neji-kun. Why don't you go into the other room and play with him?"

"Hyuuga has better things to do," Sasuke spat acidly. The smile dropped right off of Naruto's startled face, and the blond man slowly straightened in his seat. Shooting him a parting glare, Sasuke returned his attention to the other two Konoha ninjas, who were both looking at him like he'd lost his mind. Schooling his face into an indifferent mask, Sasuke continued. "As I was saying, I can't fathom what Orochimaru has planned. He obviously didn't expect his attack to succeed, so he must have had some other intention."

"But what?" Kiba pressed. "The ninjas who survived weren't even here long enough for information-gathering, if that's what he wanted."

"Except for the one that escaped," Neji mused. "He was here long enough to see the interior of the city and our jail system."

"But Orochimaru already knows the interior of Konoha by heart." Sasuke frowned. "He wouldn't need that. And what good would knowing our jails do? We'll just tighten security after this last mishap."

They sat in silence for a long moment.

"What if he wasn't trying to do anything to Konoha directly?" Naruto ventured quietly. "An attack doesn't just affect the attacker and the attacked, you know."

The others frowned at him. "What do you mean?" Kiba asked.

"Well, being attacked by another village could be a sign of increased tensions. It could disrupt trade, or could rock alliances that were already shaky." Naruto rubbed his chin. "Are there any neighboring villages that might use this as an excuse to turn on Konoha?"

The three other ninjas turned to each other, their faces grim. As one, they replied.

"Sand."

* * *

Golden eyes glimmered in a stoic face, watching a floating orb intently. Within the orb, the figure of a man with white hair raced through the woods at his command. Quietly, a woman stepped up behind him. 

"How is it going?" she questioned tentatively. The golden-eyed man didn't move.

"Slowly. With any luck, he'll be able to convince Sound to move against Konoha…as you wished."

The woman sighed, swiping her hair out of her face. "Will he convince them to attack before Father declares war?"

The man didn't reply. She wasn't very surprised.

Shaking her head, she continued, "Father will want an update, then. I'm sure your spell will continue to work without you watching it every step of the way. Let's go."

With a wave of the man's hand, the orb collapsed into a pool of sand. The sand paused briefly on the floor before moving behind him. Slowly, it trickled into the gourd resting on the small man's back. Without a word, he stood and turned to face his master, golden eyes fading to pale blue ringed with the black of a thousand sleepless nights. His low voice was filled with menace as he replied.

"Yes, Temari-sama."


	9. History

**Author's note:**** I'm back! I had trouble deciding how far to advance the plot in this chapter, hence the wait. I'm pretty excited about where it went, though, so let me know what you think. Short reviews are enjoyed, but I never, ever have a problem with long reviews. I like getting to read people's thoughts. Concrit and guesses welcome. **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Early morning light speared Sasuke's eyes, drawing a low groan from the surly man. The air in the room was chilled as it settled about his vulnerable face, and unthinkingly, Sasuke burrowed into the incredible source of heat beside him. He'd nearly fallen back into the realm of sleep when his makeshift teddy bear snorted and shifted sleepily in his grasp. Yawning, Sasuke peeled his eyes open. 

Blinking heavily, the Uchiha heir gazed down in resignation and bemusement at the red fox curled up against him. Over the last few days, during which they'd had innumerable meetings with the Hokage regarding the strange Sound conflict, Sasuke and Kyuubi had fallen into a bit of a routine. Regardless of how much they sniped at each other during the day, Naruto always returned to his fox form and crawled into his bed at night. Every time, Sasuke thought of protesting, but some unknown reasoning caused him to stay his tongue.

Maybe it was simply that Sasuke's room was always freezing, and Kyuubi was always warm.

Or maybe Sasuke was just a sap, as he'd long suspected that, deep down, he might very well be.

No wonder Father had never let him get a dog.

Reaching up to rub his bleary eyes with the back of his hand, Sasuke finally noticed something different about this morning, as opposed to the ones that had preceded it. Normally, Kyuubi was long gone by the time Sasuke awoke and could be heard making a mess in his kitchen. Today, for the first time, Sasuke had woken first.

Suddenly, Sasuke was rather awake.

Kyuubi, unaware that he was suddenly being perused intently, slept on, his sides expanding and contracting with each breath. In the quiet morning, the fox's breathing was just barely audible, rasping just enough to be considered a snore, if Sasuke wanted to call it that. Unbidden, Sasuke smiled. Kyuubi was always such a pain in the ass while awake that Sasuke was usually too irritated to pay the fox any close attention. At times, he wondered if Kyuubi had planned it that way, but he'd already given up on trying to untangle the demon's obviously warped thought patterns. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why anyone would deliberately antagonize the person who literally held their life in his hands.

Maybe all that solitary confinement had messed Kyuubi up a little.

Or maybe Kyuubi had always been a piece of work.

The fox shifted against his side, breaking Sasuke out of his ruminations. Heat filtered directly from Kyuubi's back into Sasuke's chest, relaxing him automatically. Judging by the slowness of Kyuubi's deep breaths, the fox was far from waking. Biting his lip, Sasuke found himself fighting temptation. Kyuubi was asleep, giving Sasuke the full advantage for the first time since they'd met. If Sasuke did it gently, the fox would never know, and he wouldn't be able to tease Sasuke mercilessly for it later on. Sasuke shifted uncertainly. Did he dare go for it?

He lifted a hand tentatively, letting it hover in the air above the fox's side. Sasuke could just hear his father scolding him for his thoughts, claiming that it was unbefitting an Uchiha. Shameful. Weak. When Kyuubi was awake and being a moron, Sasuke found it easy to adhere to those beliefs. A bead of sweat formed on his brow. If he did it right, Kyuubi would never know. He'd sleep right through it. It would be just like it had never happened.

Slowly, his hand descended.

It wasn't Sasuke's fault that he wanted this. He'd been deprived as a child.

His fingers paused hesitantly, a mere breath away from Kyuubi's fur.

Father should have gotten him a dog.

Unable to hold out any longer, Sasuke ran his fingers lightly over Kyuubi's fur. The breath he hadn't even realized he was holding ghosted out over his lips at the contact. Gently, as gently as he could manage, he stroked the fox's side until he reached the multitude of tails, and then raised his hand to do it again. He was petting him.

Sasuke's eyes lowered to half mast, and once again a content smile found its way onto his face. Kyuubi's fur was soft against his fingers, and so warm that his fingertips began to tingle. It was like petting a warm cloud. Sighing lightly, Sasuke resettled next to the demon, running his fingers through that thick red fur. Kyuubi didn't seem to notice aside from a soft huff every now and then, tails twitching upwards involuntarily when Sasuke's hand neared. Several minutes passed in silence as Sasuke fulfilled his guiltiest fantasy.

Sasuke grew so caught up in what he was doing, in fact, that he barely noticed when Kyuubi began to shift in response to his attentions, lifting his shoulders and stretching his back to maximize rubbing space. The Uchiha heir's smile grew a little more, and he brought his second hand into play, scratching lightly behind Kyuubi's ears. The fox made a low, happy noise in response.

Then, slowly, those blue eyes peeled open.

Sasuke's hand froze on Kyuubi's side, but Kyuubi simply gazed at him with mostly slitted eyes. After a moment, the fox huffed and rolled onto his feet, stretching lazily. Sasuke had stopped breathing. Any moment now, the abuse would start. Kyuubi would lash into him for his "fur fetish" and would threaten to tell anyone who listened that Sasuke molested foxes in their sleep. Or something equally horrible. A scowl darkening his face, Sasuke felt his hackles rising in defense.

Instead of saying a word, however, Kyuubi simply pressed a paw into Sasuke's chest, pushing until the confused man obligingly lay on his back. A sleepy look in his eyes, Kyuubi gingerly pressed a paw atop Sasuke's chest, tapped it twice…and leapt up onto him. Yawning mightily, Kyuubi curled up on the startled Uchiha's chest and, by all impressions, seemed to go straight back to sleep.

Frozen, Sasuke stared incredulously at the fox on his chest. Kyuubi, I'm-going-to-make-Sasuke's-life-as-miserable-as-possible Kyuubi, had decided to forgo a golden opportunity to tease his master in favor of…of…_snuggling?_

Hesitantly, Sasuke lifted his hands and resumed petting the demon. Kyuubi's lips turned up in a sleepy smile, and the demon hummed lightly at the attention. Still uncertain, Sasuke grew a little bolder with his petting, stroking the fox's tails and rubbing the top of his head. Kyuubi's humming grew louder. Slowly, Sasuke's smile returned, though this time it came in the shape of a smirk. His hands wandered, caressing the soft pads under Kyuubi's remarkably hand-like front paws, the short, thin fur under Kyuubi's chin, and even the fur just above the heavy golden ring at the base of his center tail. Kyuubi subjected himself sleepily, yet eagerly, to everything Sasuke could come up with. Sasuke's smirk grew into a grin.

Abruptly, Kyuubi lifted his head and stared at Sasuke with heavy eyes, his lips unsmiling. Sasuke had a brief moment of doubt curl in his belly—after all, he'd already seen the rows of sharp teeth in Kyuubi's mouth, and in his apparent half-asleep state, Sasuke might lose his nose. His hands clenched on the fox's sides, and he contemplated tossing the demon off him before Kyuubi could get any ideas.

Kyuubi leaned forward and licked him. On the cheek.

Sasuke blinked.

Apparently unsatisfied, Kyuubi licked him again. And again. And kept licking him.

Startled, Sasuke burst into laughter. "K-Kyuubi! What the hell!" The fox ignored him, scooting forward until he could lave Sasuke's entire face with his tongue. Sputtering, Sasuke vainly tried to bat him away. "Stop it!"

Kyuubi made another happy noise, butting Sasuke's hand in an attempt to receive more petting even as he continued to slobber all over Sasuke's face. Turning red with embarrassment, Sasuke lifted a hand and smacked Kyuubi, hard, on the head.

"I said _stop!_"

Kyuubi stopped.

The fox blinked down at him with startled blue eyes, having been shocked awake by the blow to the head. As Sasuke watched, those cerulean eyes grew wider, and the fox's mouth dropped open, emitting a choked off sound.

And before Sasuke could move, Kyuubi had flown off him, jumped off the bed, and run out the bedroom door.

Sasuke stared after him for a moment before reluctantly detangling himself from the bedclothes and climbing to his feet. He followed along the still quiet hallway, coming to a stop at the entryway to the kitchen.

Naruto sat at the table, his face buried in his folded arms. His ears were red.

Clearing his throat, Sasuke folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "So, Naruto. Care to tell me what that was about?"

The blond's back tensed. " 'S all your damn fault," he muttered.

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "_My_ fault? How is it my fault?"

What little Sasuke could see of Naruto's face was burning a deep cherry red. "If you hadn't been _touching_ me like that, I wouldn't have…" With a strange noise, Naruto cut himself off.

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean?" he asked challengingly. "You're telling me that just because I rubbed your back, you had to slobber all over me??"

Even the roots of Naruto's _hair_ were turning red.

"I just…you shouldn't… Gyaaaah!" Abruptly, Naruto raised his tomato-red face, scowling furiously at the Uchiha heir. "It made me feel affectionate, all right?? I was half asleep, and your petting…felt…_nice_," he ground out. "I forgot myself! That's all!"

Despite himself, Sasuke's lips began to twitch. "Affectionate, is it? You're not going to start calling me pet names now, are you?"

Growling, Naruto rose to his feet. "No, apparently _you_ are, since you felt the need to get so fresh with me in the first place. Care to explain_ that_, Sasuke?"

The smile that had been threatening to appear on Sasuke's face disappeared immediately. He grew a scowl to match Naruto's.

"That…that's none of your business."

Naruto barked out a short laugh. "None of my _business?_ Hello? _I'm_ the one who was being molested here. Should I start worrying about my virtue when I climb into bed with you?" His blush began to fade, starting with his hair and traveling down. "If you can learn to control yourself, we won't have any more of these little mishaps."

"Maybe _you_ should just stop sleeping in my bed! Don't animals belong on the floor anyway?" Sasuke shot back. Naruto's eyes flashed red, narrowing.

"Hmm." The demon eyed him, an unsettling glint entering his eyes. Sasuke resisted the urge to shift nervously. After a moment, Naruto smiled deviously, his eyes returning to their normal blue. "Oh _ho!_"

Sasuke's scowl deepened. " 'Oh ho' _what_?"

"I get what's happening now." Wearing a shit-eating grin, Naruto strode into Sasuke's personal space and folded his arms over his chest. "You're growing _fond_ of me, aren't you?"

"What?!" Sasuke sputtered, taking a firm step away. "Don't be ridiculous. You're a pain in my ass, and you know it."

If anything, Naruto's grin grew. "Perhaps. But I'm starting to think you _like_ it, Sasuke-kun."

_Oh god no. Not the "kun" treatment._ "Naruto, I swear, if you start flirting with me, I'll kill you." Sasuke took another pointed step away for good measure, eyes flipping into the Sharingan. Naruto simply laughed and waved a hand at him.

"Relax. I told you before, I'm not really into Uchihas. You guys are way too uptight for me." He eyed Sasuke again in a way that distinctly made the Uchiha want to hit him. "Though I suppose you're not _too_ bad."

"Naruto…" Sasuke growled warningly. The blond simply laughed again, _finally_ turning away. Sasuke slowly relaxed his tense posture as Naruto made his way towards the living room, an irritating swagger in his hips. The blond paused at the connecting wall, glancing over his shoulder with a cheeky grin.

"Does that mean you won't mind if I give Neji a go? He's _gorgeous_, after all."

"WHAT?"

Laughing heartily, Naruto scampered out of the kitchen. Seconds later, the TV came blaring to life. Muttering under his breath, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and stormed over to the cabinets over the sink. He threw them open with a vengeance, noting that it was way too fucking early in the morning to be dealing with the monster in his house…and he was out of coffee. Cursing, he slammed the cabinet door shut.

Turning, he yanked a chair out from the table and sat heavily, closing his eyes. _I wish I had some coffee._

_Plonk._

Opening his eyes at the heavy sound, Sasuke found himself looking down at a steaming cup of coffee. It sat innocently on the table, tempting him with its heady aroma. Cautiously, he picked up the mug, blew over the top, and took a small sip.

It had just a dash of milk (not cream) and no sugar. Exactly the way Sasuke liked it.

Scowling, Sasuke rose to his feet and stormed into the living room, where Naruto was sitting cross-legged on the couch. The blond tilted his head in Sasuke's direction, but his eyes never left the TV screen.

"What's up, oh great, wise and molesting master?"

Sasuke ground his teeth and shoved the offending mug of coffee forward, brandishing it at the fox demon. "What the hell is this?"

"What's what?" Naruto's brow furrowed, but his eyes remained glued to the screen. Snarling, Sasuke stepped between the couch and the television, effectively blocking Naruto's view. "Hey!"

Sasuke pushed the cup directly under Naruto's nose. "What. The hell. Is this?"

Naruto blinked down at it. "A cup of coffee?"

"I _know_ that. I'm asking where it came from."

The blond frowned at the cup, then at Sasuke. "What, is this supposed to be a hint or something? You had to make your own breakfast for once, and you're pissed?" He rolled his blue eyes. "If you wanted breakfast, all you had to do was—"

"I didn't make it! This cup just appeared on the table, and I _didn't wish for it_." Sasuke frowned down at him. "I thought you said you couldn't read my thoughts."

"I…" Naruto blinked in surprise and confusion. "I can't. I didn't."

The coffee hovered innocuously.

"Naruto, I didn't wish for this aloud. How did you do it?" Unsettled, Sasuke softened his voice. Naruto's face grew pale as he stared at the cup.

"Sasuke…I honestly don't know."

* * *

Gaara sat stoically in his chair in the Kazekage's office, listening to the man's rants with unrelenting boredom. His master, Temari, sat nervously beside him, trying valiantly to look composed in front of her father as he spoke of conquest and war. Personally, Gaara couldn't care less what the man's issues or desires were, and officially, they were none of his concern, as the Kazekage was not Gaara's master. 

At least the buffoon hadn't tried to rename Gaara when he bound the tanuki to his daughter. One cold glare had been enough to make the man reconsider his contrived slave name of Suna, "sand," which was so unoriginal that Gaara had nearly murdered him on the spot. At least "Gaara" involved some creativity when it was first given to him, even if "one who loves himself" was merely pointing fun at the character for love on his forehead. The tattoo throbbed gently at the thought.

He still remembered the day he created it, the single act of devotion he had been allowed to make. Kyuubi-sama had been embarrassed by it.

"_Ah, Shukaku!" Kyuubi-sama smiled warmly at him, dressed as always in his shimmering body armor. His mess of blond and red hair spilled wildly over his shoulders, shifting as he reached up to clasp a comradely hand upon the tanuki demon's shoulder. "I was wondering what kept you."_

_Shukaku smirked, bringing a hand up to clasp his leader's arm in turn. "You know that nothing would deter me for long, Kyuubi-sama. I plan to be right by your side when you lead us into battle."_

_Kyuubi-sama's grin grew slightly abashed. "I know. And I appreciate it, more than I can say. But, Shukaku…" His violet eyes flickered up to the tanuki's forehead. "What did you do to your head?"_

_His twitching lips betraying his slight nervousness—Kyuubi-sama was not known for attacking his followers, but he _was_ known to occasionally lose his head when caught off guard—Shukaku lifted his hands to the makeshift bandage over his forehead. He unwound the coarse cloth, revealing his work to his leader. Kyuubi-sama's eyes widened._

"_You… Shukaku, did you do this to yourself?" With uncommon hesitancy, Kyuubi-sama ghosted his fingers over the tattoo. Shukaku shivered._

"_Yes. I wanted you to be the first to see it." Wrapping his hand about Kyuubi-sama's fingers, he brought the fox demon's hand down and gazed into the owner's eyes. "You should know, before we go into battle, the strength of my devotion. My strength is your strength. Your will my will."_

_Contrary to his expectations, Kyuubi-sama actually looked embarrassed. "Shukaku, I…" He tried off, violet eyes searching Shukaku's golden ones questioningly. After a moment, he gave the tanuki a quirky smile._

"_Thank you."_

_The two demons fell into silence, looking out over the rolling hills. Mt. Fuji rumbled in the distance, steam rising from its mouth. Several lesser demons littered the grounds between their vantage point and the great mountain, restless before the battle to come. The sun was quickly dipping towards the horizon, and the moon, drenched in blood, shone brighter than ever._

"Gaara! Are you listening to me?"

The Kazekage's irate voice snapped Gaara back to the present. His instincts had sand rushing towards the imbecile at the shock, and Gaara glowered as he restrained it. The sand nearly cried out in disappointment as it marched back into the gourd on his back. Gritting his teeth, he glared at the Kazekage.

"What?" he bit out grudgingly.

The Kazekage eyed him with distaste. "I told you that I needed Sound to press a full attack against Konoha by now. Konoha's strong enough to fight a one-front war, but not two. Why hasn't Sound come forward?"

"Human minds are fickle things," Gaara replied dryly. "I can't force two nations to go to war. I can merely _suggest_ it as an option."

"You controlled that Sound unit long enough to get them to attack!" the Kazekage stated accusingly. Gaara fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"I didn't make the rules, Kazekage…sama. I can control one being, perhaps two, through a wish. But while I can incite war, I cannot force it."

Gaara lost interest as the man began to splutter once more, gazing out the window and reaching up to fiddle idly with the silver band on his right middle finger. The Kazekage turned to his daughter, pointing a bejeweled finger at the tanuki.

"Temari! Order him to comply with my wishes!"

His daughter frowned at him, glancing uncertainly at the quiet demon beside her. "I've tried, Father. He can't carry them out."

"Impossible! The old scrolls clearly state that—"

"I am not to blame if your ancestors did not record the rules of servitude accurately," Gaara cut in, slanting an icy gaze at the Kazekage. The man took a step back, involuntarily. "If you want to go to war, you should declare war. Leave me out of it."

"And waste such a valuable tool? Never!" The Kazekage scowled. "Konoha would never be able to stand up against us if we had your full power behind us."

Slowly, Gaara allowed himself to smirk. "Yet you have not figured out how to unleash my full power. Do you wonder why that is?"

At the cool, dangerous tone of Gaara's voice, the Kazekage took another step back, then braced himself. "I'll have you remember that you're speaking to the highest ranking member of the Wind Country. You have no right to—"

"I am speaking to a man who was too cowardly to bind himself to a demon of unknown power, and chose to sacrifice his only son and daughter instead. You now have only one surviving child." With that, Gaara rose to his feet and leveled an arctic glare on the man. "I only acknowledge my_betters_."

Ignoring the Kazekage's splutters, Gaara left the room and let the door bang shut behind him.

* * *

Sasuke stared at Naruto, his rapidly cooling coffee still stretched out before him. The demon looked as confused as Sasuke was, but…_god_, just the _thought_ of someone being able to read his mind so nonchalantly, without any effort, was enough to give Sasuke a severe chill down his spine. Unbidden, memories of Orochimaru came to the surface: the bite on his neck, the poison that had contaminated him, skewing his thoughts and making him turn against the people who had supported him… 

No. He would _not_ go through something like that again. _Ever_.

And if Naruto wouldn't tell him the truth, he'd have to find out for himself.

Turning stiffly, Sasuke set the mug on the coffee table, then straightened. His fists clenched at his sides.

"Naruto, I want you to tell me exactly what's going on here. No sidestepping, no half-truths. Just _tell_ me." His cold voice filled the room, tangling itself with the palpable tension already hanging in the air.

Behind him, Naruto audibly rose to his feet, his clothes rustling as he moved. "Sasuke, I'm serious. I _don't know_. I've never granted a wish that hadn't been expressly stated before." Eyes narrowing, Sasuke turned to face him, only to see the fox demon run a frustrated hand through his blond hair. He looked almost as upset as Sasuke felt. "I'd heard once that if the master-genie bond grew strong enough, I'd be able to do things without being asked, and that we'd eventually reach some kind of…intellectual understanding or something, but…"

Sasuke's teeth ground themselves together. "And you never thought to _mention_ this? I don't want you poking through my head, Uzumaki."

"You didn't seem to mind last time!"

Silence. Through his rapidly growing fury, Sasuke watched the blond wince in response to his own words. The world turned red, the memory of the grassy hill suddenly tainted. It hadn't bothered him much at the time due to the sheer strangeness of the situation, but _now_, knowing that he had more or less given Naruto permission to root through his mind…

It pissed him off.

"Fuck you," Sasuke spat. Naruto took a step back, prodding Sasuke into advancing on the demon. Broad shoulders stiffened as Sasuke fisted a hand in the other man's shirt, dragging them face-to-face. "I'm tired of letting you walk all over me. You know things that you're not telling me, and it stops now." Despite Naruto's belligerent expression, the fox demon's face was pale, and his height had diminished to the point where Sasuke nearly had to tip his chin down to look him in the eye. A quick glance down showed that the ring on Naruto's finger was glowing, a fact that only angered him further.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto glared at him. "Sasuke, first off, it's not _my_ fault that you chose to release me without knowing a damn thing about me. People have ended up dead for less than that." Reaching up, he slapped Sasuke's hand away from his shirt, eyes slitting and flooding with red chakra at the motion. Before Sasuke's eyes, the man grew taller, glowering directly into Sasuke's frustrated, infuriated gaze. "Second, I've been doing this job for a long time. A _long_ time. I've had to put up with generation after generation of greedy, sadistic Uchihas, and I've _never_ granted a wish that I didn't know about…until _now_."

Sasuke's hands fisted again, and his feet itched to begin pacing. "Then why now? Why _me?_"

"I told you, I don't know!" Naruto burst out, throwing his hands in the air. "_Everything_ about you has been different! You're the only asshole who's been able to bind to me without a second person present, you managed to do so without any fucking training whatsoever, you…you _stopped_ yourself from hurting me, and you're probably the first Uchiha I've ever met that I—"

Abruptly, Naruto shut his mouth, ending his rant mid-sentence. Sasuke's eyes twitched.

"The first Uchiha that you've _what?_"

Naruto's red eyes turned away, his jaw tense. Sasuke scowled. "_Fine_. If you're going to blame all of this on me, then let's _fix_ it, shall we?"

At that, Naruto's gaze swung back to him. The demon eyed him warily. "How?"

"The rules of engagement or whatever must have been written down at some point, right? Just like the scroll I found that led me to you." Sasuke folded his arms over his chest. "I want to see them. Tell me where to find them."

The blond remained quiet for a long moment, staring at Sasuke with an unreadable expression. Eventually, he replied with, "I don't know where they are."

"Then I wish they were here, right now."

Naruto's forehead crumpled, and the demon's eyes narrowed. After a moment, he shook his head. "I can't do it."

Sasuke scowled. "Why not?"

"I'm not allowed to move them." He sighed, running a hand through his already mussed blond hair. "Someone thought that if I could move them, I would hide them. Granted, if I were allowed, that's probably exactly what I'd do."

"Then take me to them. I want to see exactly what these rules you're _supposed_ to abide by are." Sasuke tilted his head imperiously, looking down his nose at the disgruntled demon. "If my ancestors could do it, I can, too."

"That's a great line of thought, Sasuke-_sama_," Naruto stated sarcastically, "but I can't take you to a place I don't know of. You'll have to find them yourself."

The little note of petty smugness in Naruto's voice set Sasuke's teeth right back on edge. "Then I order you to take me to the place where you last saw them. If fact, I'll double that, and make that a wish." Red eyes widened as Sasuke inhaled, ready to give his declaration as much authority as he could muster.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune, I wish for you to take me to the last place you remember seeing the scrolls that detail the rules and codes that you must adhere to as a result of your enslavement."

In a strangely defeated fashion, Naruto's eyes closed.

"Your wish is my command."

_Zzzz-ZAP!_

The pair disappeared, leaving the empty living room with its quiet, desperate atmosphere.

* * *

_He couldn't breathe. The world was so dark, so unnaturally dark, even though they were moving through it. He could tell they were moving, he could feel a pair of hands on his arms, two points of warmth in the biting cold of nothingness, but it was dark, so dark, and he couldn't BREATHE. He couldn't—_

With a gasp, Sasuke found himself landing heavily, tumbling to the ground. He jarred his knees and had to bite back a gasp at the sudden pain, coming so close on the heels of that strange world of nothing. Beside him, Naruto landed gracefully. Scowling magnificently, Sasuke rose to his feet and glared at the demon beside him.

"Naruto, what the _fuck_…" Trailing off, Sasuke got a look at the walls around him. His house. He was still in his own damn house. Eyes narrowing, he prepared to light into the strangely quiet blond.

"Madara-sama! Madara-sama!"

The unexpected voice brought Sasuke's words to a premature halt. Eyes wide, Sasuke watched as a young servant boy ran past him down the hallway. Suddenly, he noticed the utterly strange sensation of hearing _noise_ in the long deserted halls of his house. _People_, people with the Uchiha coloring and eyes milled about, some holding deep discussions, others simply chattering away. Room after room had its doors opened and shut, and more people, more _Uchihas_, moved about. None of them paid any attention to the displaced pair standing in the center of the hallway.

A large lump stuck in his throat, Sasuke turned slowly. The house looked much as it had in Sasuke's youth, before his family had been slaughtered and before he'd remodeled the place to be smaller in a desperate attempt to lessen the pain of the memories embedded in its walls. Relatives he didn't recognize walked around him without seeming to realize they were doing so, their formal kimonos glinting in the sunlight that streamed through open doors and paper walls. Once again, Sasuke found himself unable to breathe.

How was this possible? All of these people should be dead. _All_ of them.

Where had Naruto taken him??

Shakily, Sasuke pressed a hand to the wall on his left, biting back a gasp at the feel of the coarse paper beneath his fingertips. Even when he was small, the paper walls had been replaced by plaster to keep out the elements, and the tatami mats within most rooms had been replaced with carpets. Despite the wood flooring of the hallway, Sasuke could see that this house boasted a full traditional style, the likes of which he was sure hadn't been seen…

…In several hundred years.

_Oh…my…god._

Heart pounding, Sasuke turned to face the blond beside him. Naruto gazed at him impassively, his whiskered face cold and unreadable. With difficulty, Sasuke swallowed.

"Naruto…" he began quietly. "Where are we?"

The fox demon's lips twitched, though whether from a smile or a frown, Sasuke couldn't tell.

"Don't you recognize it?" Naruto replied in a low, tense voice. He gestured at the walls. "You practically grew up in it, I'm sure."

Sasuke was too thrown off to take the offense he would have at the comment. "Naruto. Where…_when_…"

He couldn't finish the question. After watching him for several long, excruciating minutes, Naruto sighed, folded his arms, and looked away.

"You asked me to take you to the last place I'd seen the scrolls detailing my…servitude. This would be it. The Uchiha Main House in Konoha, deep in the Fire Country." He paused.

"…In the Edo period of Japan, 1770."

* * *

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he spent staring at the blond man in front of him, but he was beginning to feel light-headed, so it may have been quite a while. He really needed to get that whole "breathing" business back under control. 

Though he supposed it was understandable, considering the fact that he'd just been dragged over _two hundred and thirty years into the PAST!_

He needed to sit down.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke tried to regain his grip on his control. "I thought you were going to take me to the same place, you know, in the _present_."

Naruto shook his head. "I tried that. Apparently, you had it torn down. This was second best."

A shudder raced down Sasuke's spine, and he found himself staring at the demon as though he'd grown a new head. "Second best. Two hundred years in the past is 'second best'." Sasuke nearly took a step away from Naruto, and only the shreds of his pride stopped him. "Just how powerful _are_ you?"

The blond's eyes narrowed, piercing in their coldness.

"Isn't that what you came here to find out?"

Swallowing reflexively, Sasuke nodded. Red eyes studied him for a moment longer, and the demon turned to stride down the hall. He glanced back at Sasuke over his shoulder.

"Then follow me."

Something told Sasuke that this was probably not the time to argue with him, and he followed the demon down the long, busy hallway. People continued to move past them without seeing them, almost as though he and Naruto were traveling in their own personal bubble of space. Considering this, Sasuke snorted. If Naruto could transport them into the past, going unnoticed was probably child's play.

As they progressed down the hall, the activity around them grew more frantic. Servants raced by with bowls of water and washcloths, and members of the family slipped into unoccupied rooms with grave expressions on their faces. Sasuke was left with the distinct impression that something unpleasant was happening, but one look at the broad, tense back before him was enough to stall his questions. After a sharp turn around a corner, Naruto came to a halt and glanced at Sasuke.

"You'll have to wait for a minute. He'll leave soon."

Sasuke blinked, his eyebrows furrowing. "Who'll leave soon?"

Naruto gestured at the closed door before them, a strangely emotionless expression on his face. Even his flashing red eyes seemed walled off.

"Madara. He's studying." The demon shrugged stiffly. "I dunno if you've heard of him."

The name tickled something in the back of Sasuke's mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Frowning, he reached a hand for the closed door and hesitated. Uncertain, he glanced back at Naruto.

"Will he see me if I open the door?"

Naruto hesitated, then slowly shook his head. "But you won't be able to look at the scrolls until he leaves. My magic doesn't affect them, so he'd most likely notice them 'floating' about."

Sasuke nodded, then decisively slid open the thin door. A young man about his own age sat in front of a low table, scrolls of every size stacked upon it, the floor surrounding him, and the shelves on each wall. Sasuke's eyes widened. If all of those scrolls were about Naruto, it'd take him_ years_ to get through them all! They seemed to number in the hundreds, filling every spare space in the small room.

As Naruto had suggested, Madara didn't look up at their entrance. He perused the nearest scroll silently, Sharingan red eyes glinting with an odd light as they scanned the hand-printed words. Sasuke glanced at the scroll over the man's shoulder, but the characters were muddled beyond his ability to decode. Was that due to the difference in writing over the ages, or was it actually coded somehow?

Curiosity piqued, Sasuke walked around the low table and settled himself with difficulty on the other side, taking care to keep from stepping or sitting on any of the scrolls. Naruto remained near the door, eyes fixed on Madara's back. There was something lurking in the demon's red gaze that Sasuke found slightly unsettling. Since Madara was studying the scrolls that detailed what Naruto had to and could not do, it stood to reason that he might have become one of Naruto's masters.

Judging by the tense set of Naruto's broad frame, Madara was probably not a master that Naruto had been particularly fond of, if that were the case.

Abruptly, the door to the tiny library slid open, revealing a middle-aged man with a cold expression. The man, a high ranking member of the Uchiha family if his fine silk clothes were any indication, glared at Madara's back.

"Madara, I am pleased to find you studying at this late date," the man stated, the chill in his tone belying the praise, "but surely you are ready for the bonding ceremony? Your grandfather will not last much longer, and your _cousin_ is already cleansing himself."

Madara didn't lift his head from the scroll, though he did incline his head to indicate that he was listening.

"Of course I am ready, Father," he replied in a low, smooth voice. For reasons unknown, Sasuke shivered. "But the extra time that I am taking could prove to be the last nail in my dear cousin's coffin. Kyuubi no Kitsune will remain in the possession of the main family."

The man's face did not change, but he somehow seemed pleased with the news. "You are certain?"

"Yes." An unequivocal response. As if it were a foregone conclusion that Madara would succeed in whatever ceremony they were discussing.

His father nodded. "Good. Your grandfather wishes to see you, presumably to impart some wisdom before he passes. Do not tarry."

"Yes, Father."

The man turned and strode out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. Without complaint, Madara rolled up the scroll he had been reading, set it aside, and rose to his feet. He gazed at the scrolls, that odd light glinting in his eyes again. Slowly, a smirk stole across his face, then disappeared behind an indifferent mask. Sasuke watched warily as the young man left the library, sliding the door shut behind him.

Naruto seemed to relax slightly with Madara's departure, and he gestured vaguely at the scrolls. "You won't have long, so I suggest you get cracking. I'll wait outside."

Sasuke barely spared a glance at the scrolls before he leapt to his feet, following after his unsuspecting relative. Naruto looked at him with surprise when Sasuke slid open the door and raced into the hall.

"Sasuke, I thought you wanted to—"

"Later," the Uchiha heir cut in. Something indefinable was crawling beneath his skin, spurring him on. He had to see the conversation between Madara and his grandfather. "Where is Madara going?"

Sighing, Naruto followed Sasuke out of the library, closing the door behind him. "This way, come on."

Several doors down the hall, a bunch of servants with washbowls stood nervously before a closed room. Moving past them, Naruto opened the door and gestured with his head for Sasuke to precede him. As soon as the Uchiha heir set foot in the tatami-floored room, Naruto slipped in behind him and closed the door. Madara was still settling himself before a thick futon, where an old man with long, white hair and an emaciated face lay, breathing with difficulty. Despite the interesting conversation to come, Sasuke's eyes were locked on another as he sat down.

Another Kyuubi, dressed in a plain white yukata, sat on the other side of the old man in_seiza_ with his feet tucked under him, one hand dipped into a washbowl at his side to warm the water. The other hand was clinically dabbing a washcloth at the old man's forehead, an action that was blatantly ignored by the room's occupants. This Kyuubi was completely expressionless as he went about his duties, blue eyes cold and detached as he gazed upon his ailing master. He, too, seemed to have no idea that Sasuke was there.

When Sasuke glanced at the Naruto sitting beside him, he found roughly the same cold detachment in his eyes. Unbidden, Sasuke shivered.

"Madara," the old man rasped. "I'm glad you came. You're having no difficulties with your studies?"

"None, Grandfather." For the first time, Madara acknowledged the demon on the other side of the futon. That crazed glint, which Sasuke finally recognized as mercenary, shone brightly in Madara's eyes. "Kyuubi no Kitsune will be mine, and all of his power with it."

Kyuubi showed no reaction to Madara's words, simply dipping the cloth into the basin, wringing it out, and reapplying it to the old man's face and neck. The elderly Uchiha frowned.

"I never had any doubts that that would be the case, Madara. You are far more advanced than your cousin, and I have no doubt that between the two of you, _he_ will be the one to perish during the bonding." The old man shifted stiffly on his futon, idly batting Kyuubi's hands away when the demon moved to assist him. "This is why I have called you in here, and not your cousin. There are things you should know about being bonded to this creature."

"Indeed, Grandfather," Madara replied, eyes still locked thirstily on Kyuubi. "Tell me everything."

"Grandfather" frowned a little more, clearly displeased with his grandson's attitude. "Restrain your eagerness, Madara. The creature is not a toy, nor merely a weapon. It has thoughts, and has secreted more than a trick or two up its sleeves. You need to be _careful_."

Madara waved a hand dismissively, baring his teeth in a fairly disturbing smile. "I will control him. I have read on all the more painful methods of disciplining him. He will learn quickly that I am not to be crossed."

At that, Kyuubi's eyes flickered briefly to Madara before returning to the old man. His movements remained smooth and controlled.

"_Discipline_ is what _you_ need, young Madara," his grandfather stated sharply. "Do you think that you will be capable of controlling the creature with only a rudimentary understanding of how it will be bound to you? You need to know how it _thinks_."

"I can use him to kill, can I not, Grandfather?"

Silence fell at the calmly and almost innocently asked question. His grandfather blinked in surprise, and Kyuubi looked up for more than an instant. Madara's eyes burned with bloodlust.

"Perhaps others in the family were not willing to use Kyuubi to his full potential, but I assure you, _I will_. That demon is simply overflowing with power, and all of it, _all of it_, will belong to me." Madara lifted a hand, reaching over the futon towards Kyuubi's face. With a slight furrowing of his brow, Kyuubi tipped his head out of reach. Madara simply continued to smile. "Kyuubi will be my path to _glory_, Grandfather."

The old man looked nearly as disturbed as Sasuke felt. "That sort of thinking is what caused the family to lock the masters of this creature away. They will kill you if you grow too ambitious, Madara."

"I'll make them change their minds."

"You cannot. You have studied; you _know_ that you cannot use the creature to go against the family's wishes." The old man was now trying to sit up in earnest, but this time, Kyuubi did not move to help him. The demon stared at Madara, expressionless and cold.

Madara didn't even glance at his grandfather, intent on his staring contest with Kyuubi. "I can if they have not yet made their wishes known. _I_ will be the supreme power in this family, just as I should be."

"Madara—"

"No, Grandfather. You, just like all the masters before you, are a fool. I will tap into Kyuubi's full power, and bring fear of the Uchiha family to the entire world!" Madara's eyes shone with mercenary desire, all focused directly upon Kyuubi. In response, the demon's eye twitched, but he remained silent.

Madara's grandfather sighed, settling back against the futon is resignation. "Very well, Madara. You will find out for yourself the reality of your impending situation, and I will simply pray that you are not killed in your quest for _glory_." He glowered at the young man. "Do you want any tips for dealing with the creature, or are you content to simply gaze at him like a starving man at a roast?"

Blinking, Madara turned back to his grandfather, changing his slightly manic grin to a serene smile. "Of course, Grandfather. What did you wish to tell me?"

Seemingly mollified, the old man began to recount a story of Kyuubi attempting to mis-grant a wish, much as he had done when Sasuke had first released him. As the story quickly devolved into a calm recitation of cruelty and blood—all on the part of Kyuubi, who listened without batting an eye—Sasuke rose to his feet.

"Naruto," he requested quietly, "let's get out of here."

Without a word, Naruto rose to his feet, slid open the door, and followed his master out of it. As he returned to the library, Sasuke's head was spinning. Both of those men had treated Kyuubi like an object, like some _thing_ that they had in their possession, nothing more. Was Sasuke the first to treat him like the (moderately) intelligent man Kyuubi was? And was it any wonder that at their first meeting, Kyuubi had claimed to hate him?

No wonder Naruto had seemed so shocked when Sasuke had decided to refrain from punishing him. Sasuke very well may have been the first to think it cruel.

Swallowing hard, he paused before entering the library, but at a quick nod from Naruto, he slipped inside. Once again, Naruto hovered near the door, his eyes unreadable.

"I'll wait outside. When we have to go, I'll come in and get you," he stated gruffly. Sasuke nodded slowly, then watched as the demon walked back outside and closed the door, leaving him alone.

Somewhat shaken, Sasuke took the space that Madara had sat in, staring down at the scrolls before him in consternation. These scrolls had most likely lead to Naruto being cruelly mistreated by every master who had read them, so it was small wonder that he had seemed closed off and uncomfortable since bringing him here. For all he knew, Sasuke could end up using this information against him, making his life the living hell it must have been for however long he'd been serving the Uchiha family.

Sasuke steadied himself with a deep breath. Just because his ancestors had been cruel, it didn't mean that Sasuke had to be. He could just as easily use this information to keep himself from inadvertently harming Naruto and protect himself at the same time.

With that in mind, he reached for the nearest scroll.

* * *

Standing in the hallway, literally bombarded on all sides by horrible memories, Naruto leaned his head back against the paper walls and closed his eyes. For the first time since the beginning of his enslavement, he'd been feeling a sense of hope. Sasuke was different from all of his previous masters, and in a strange, twisted way, Naruto was beginning to _like_ him. They'd already grown closer than he'd ever been to any human, _period_. 

Despair welling up within him, he let out a small, vulpine whine.

It was all about to come to an end.


	10. Beneath the Underneath

**Author's note:**** Sorry about the wait, I went to Hiroshima on break and that just kinda pushed aside the whole "I'm supposed to be writing now!" vibe for a bit. XD **

**This chapter is the first of Fox Magic's that's been beta'd. Much loves for the fantastic arcanetheorem, and thanks luv for putting up with my mood swings! XDD**

** Enjoy. **

* * *

An odd, heavy silence settled upon the room as Sasuke hesitated, his fingers over a dark red scroll. With the strange feeling that the room itself was waiting to see what he would do, he picked up the scroll. 

Immediately, a thick, terrible noise resounded in his brain, dark words that he couldn't understand pounding at his skull like a tempest. Beneath the words, someone was screaming, an ear-piercing wail that threatened to burst his eardrums, even though he knew it couldn't possibly be a real sound. Gasping, he dropped the scroll on the table. The voices receded, lowering to unintelligible whispers before disappearing entirely. Head throbbing in pain, Sasuke clasped his hands to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut.

_Holy hell. What the fuck was that??_ His headache gradually began to pass, and Sasuke gingerly peeled his eyes open again. The red scroll sat on the table, innocently and silently mocking him. Sasuke scowled at it, forehead throbbing just from _looking_ at the damned thing. How the hell was he supposed to read these things if that terrible voice was going to drown him every time he touched a scroll?

A wet sensation began to tickle the skin beneath his nose, causing Sasuke to swipe at it irritably with his right hand. It came away bloody. Midnight eyes narrowed as he contemplated his red fingers. _Obviously, my family wouldn't want anyone to be able to waltz in and take a peek at these scrolls. They must be sealed somehow._ His scowl deepened. How could he unlock the scrolls? Glancing up, he noticed Naruto's shadow shifting its weight through the paper-lined door, but after watching the other man for a moment, he shook his head.

Even if Naruto knew how to open the scrolls without having the reader's head explode, this was something Sasuke needed to do himself.

Rubbing his soiled fingers together, he stared at the table. If he were going to lock the scrolls to protect it from spies, how best to prove that he was of Uchiha descent? The only way to do that was through his…

He glanced at his fingers.

Bracing his shoulders, Sasuke reached down with his right hand and deliberately smeared a line of blood on the red scroll. Snatching his hand away, Sasuke stared intently at the red paper. Light whispers began to fill the air, and Sasuke could almost swear he heard a flute playing as the scroll stirred minutely. Slowly, Sasuke's blood sank into the paper, spreading out like an infection until the entire scroll had turned black. Somewhat hesitantly, Sasuke placed his hand upon the scroll. When no words suddenly thundered through his brain, he picked it up and unrolled it. At first glance, the same unreadable characters he'd seen when looking over Madara's shoulder graced the page, but when he looked at them again, the ink strokes shuddered, twisted, and began to form words:

_**Greetings, Uchiha Sasuke.**_

Sasuke stared at the words, eyes wide.

_**Interesting. You have already bonded with Kyuubi no Kitsune, and yet this is the first time you have encountered these scrolls? You are a reckless boy.**_

Sasuke's jaw worked, but no noises emerged.

_**Stars above, boy, you aren't dumb, are you?**_

"I… What? No!"

_**Thank goodness. We would have to kill you, otherwise, and that requires more energy than we feel willing to spare.**_

Shaking his head violently, Sasuke took another look at the scroll, but the words were still there. Even as he watched, more words began to form.

_**A bit of luck, we should think, that of all the scrolls here, you managed to grab the only one capable of guiding you. And guidance, it would seem, is something that you need desperately.**_

Sasuke scowled, bridling instinctively at the insult. "Who the hell are you?"

A long pause followed his question, during which Sasuke could hear the echoes of a man's laughter. His fingers clenched the paper scroll automatically.

_**We are unimportant, boy. The question is, what is it that you wish to know? Do you wish to bend the Kyuubi to your will? He is a headstrong creature, it is true, but he can be broken.**_

The Uchiha heir's stomach clenched involuntarily. _Broken?_ he couldn't help but think. To his surprise, the scroll responded.

_**Indeed. All of his previous masters managed to control him with the judicious application of corporal punishment. You cannot be soft on him, boy, or he will take advantage of you.**_

The paper crinkled slightly under the force of his grip. _I have no intention of "breaking" him, thank you very much. And considering how headstrong he still is, I challenge your claim that he has ever been "broken" at all._

No response for a long moment.

_**Oh? Did you not come here with the intention of finding out more about his punishments? The laws to which he must adhere? The extent of his full power? You fool no one, boy. You are as power-hungry as the rest. We can guide you to this power.**_

Sasuke's heart was pounding. The scroll was lying. He hadn't come here with the intention of deliberately subduing Naruto. He just wanted to know_more_, to understand why the things that happened to Naruto occurred in the first place.

_**Foolish boy. Do you realize what power you have in your possession? The nine-tailed beast can level cities in a heartbeat, slaughter thousands upon a whim. It can, and it has.**_

No. That wasn't like Naruto. He wouldn't—

_**Wouldn't he? Do you honestly believe that his kind and playful exterior is his true self? The creature is playing a game with you, fool. Before his enslavement, he slaughtered humans for fun. He reveled in his power. Why should you not do the same? Turn the beast's power against him, use him to grow stronger. Draw upon the ring to feed yourself.**_

Unbidden, images of Naruto, eyes red and hair wild flashed through his mind. Visions of Sasuke sitting upon a throne of skulls, the ground beneath him soaked red with blood, while Naruto kneeled at his side. A small girl was dragged in front of him, screaming and crying, and with a nod of Sasuke's head, Naruto smiled. And killed her.

"NO!" Gasping, Sasuke shook away the images. They weren't real. Sasuke wasn't a tyrant, and Naruto wasn't the bloodthirsty animal the scroll was painting him as. _It isn't true. _Hands shaking, he scowled down at the paper. "Now listen, you. I'm tired of your fucking mind games. I want to know the laws that Naruto has to adhere to, and that's it. Now either tell them to me or show me where I can find them!"

The scroll paused before replying, filling Sasuke with an uneasy sense of dread. A twirl of someone else's dark amusement flittered through him, making him shiver.

_**Very well, Uchiha Sasuke. If that is what you want.**_ Several nearby scrolls began to glow softly. _**These are the scrolls that illustrate the laws of his enslavement, and the accompanying punishments should they be broken. Read them well.**_

The words faded from the scroll, returning to the mangled characters they were before. Trembling, Sasuke set the scroll down gingerly, rolling it with care. In all his life, he'd never heard of scrolls that could _talk_ to someone and read their minds. It was unsettling in the extreme. Just what kind of power could create something like this, much less sustain it over centuries? Swallowing hard, he glanced up at Naruto's shape in front of the door.

If the scrolls could read his mind, it was entirely possible that Naruto would have no choice but to read Sasuke's. It might very well be a stipulation he had to follow, one that he had no control over. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke reached for one of the glowing scrolls nearby, tearing it open. As with the previous scroll, words appeared as he began to read, though these didn't seem to have a direct connection to his thoughts.

_**The Kyuubi no Kitsune must adhere to his master's wishes above all else. No personal desires may be placed before those of his master's. In the event of the Kyuubi no Kitsune growing selfish, the following may be used as a means of punishment:…**_

His eyes skimmed the list of punishments, but instead of seeing the words, images of Naruto being put _through_ the punishments raced across his mind's eye.

_Naruto kneeled on a dirty floor, arms crossed and tied with thick rope to a post in front of him. His head hung, blond hair obscuring his face from view. As Sasuke watched, blood appeared in violent strips across Naruto's back, like he was being struck with an invisible whip. The blond's broad torso flinched with each invisible strike, but he made no noise aside from the odd grunt. _

"_Hold." _

_The whipping stopped at a short command from the unseen man behind Naruto. Slowly, the wounds seemed to half-heal, gumming up on his back to stop the bleeding._

"_Proceed."_

_At the next strike, Naruto finally cried out. He tossed his head back, lips bleeding from being bitten to stifle the noises he'd made, face contorted in pain. Tugging uselessly at his bound hands, Naruto sagged forward again, flinching with each new inflicted wound. _

The images stopped abruptly, replaced with darkness. Breathing heavily, Sasuke waited for an agonized moment before he realized that his eyes were shut. Slowly, he peeled them open, glancing once more at the words on the page.

_Naruto sat in front of him, apologizing profusely with his forehead against the ground, fingers splayed and digging into the dirt on either side of his head. His apologies went unheard._

_With a sickening crack, Naruto's arm broke and twisted, pointing the wrong way. Naruto started screaming. More bones cracked themselves, traveling up and down his arms, his fingers, his legs. One by one, they broke. Then they broke again. And again._

With a shout, Sasuke flung the parchment away from him, not caring where it landed. His stomach was churning, sweat was beading on his brow, and his panting breaths were harsh in the preternaturally quiet room. Swallowing back his nausea, Sasuke hung his head.

What kind of monsters could do that to another living being? More to the point, what kind of monster could read about such a thing, see it, and then decide that it was a good idea??

_These_ were the kind of people that Naruto had been forced to spend generation after generation serving. God. No wonder Naruto had been distant ever since bringing him here. Had any of his masters even been _sane_ after going through these scrolls? After studying them, possibly for years?

Sasuke lifted his head, glaring belligerently at the multitude of "educational" scrolls about him. There had to be a way to get through them without losing his mind. At this rate, he was either going to have to give up entirely, or resign himself to becoming the same kind of sadistic creep who liked this sort of thing, because he honestly couldn't see any other way to handle it.

Unsatisfied with either option, Sasuke folded his arms over his chest and sat back. There _had_ to be a way. But what?

Scowling, he reached for the blood-stained scroll again and tore it open. With a slightly mocking air, the words began to form.

_**What is the matter, Uchiha Sasuke? Did you not find what you were looking for?**_

"Alright, you sadistic bastard, whoever you are," Sasuke snarled. "Forget this 'punishment' bullshit. I want a list of the rules that Naruto has to follow. No images, no hints, no commentary, just give me a goddamn list, or I'm going to set this whole room on fire. Can you manage that?"

Sasuke got the impression that he'd somehow startled whoever was controlling the scrolls, judging by the lack of amused undertones in his head. After a few minutes, the scroll cleared of all writing.

_**Rule #1…**_

* * *

Several hours later, the sound of the paper door sliding open startled Sasuke into looking up. His eyes stung from reading for too long, and he could feel a migraine threatening to shake his head apart, so it was with some measure of relief that he took in the unusually stoic blond who entered. Naruto paused, confusion flickering briefly across his face before it settled into that impassive mask from before. 

"We've spent too long here," the fox demon stated gruffly. "Someone's going to come into this room soon, so we need to head back."

Sighing wearily, Sasuke lowered the black scroll. "Is there any chance that you can bring me back here later?"

Naruto blinked at him. "Yes."

"Alright then." Rolling the scroll with a mildly vindictive air, Sasuke set the scroll aside and stood up. He nearly ended up right back on the floor again as his legs abruptly gave out, but Naruto appeared beside him in a flash, holding onto one of Sasuke's arms. The Uchiha heir held onto the blond's broad shoulders, waiting for his tingling legs to stop protesting. Naruto's breath ghosted across Sasuke's cheek, and in a startled movement, Sasuke looked into the blond's deep blue eyes.

_Despair._

Naruto's expression may have been walled off, but up close, his eyes clearly held a wealth of disappointment. Sasuke blinked. No doubt, Naruto expected Sasuke to start being horrible at any moment, mimicking all the countless masters he'd had before. Unconsciously, Sasuke scowled. He couldn't really _blame_ Naruto for thinking that way, but dammit, couldn't _anyone_ have a little fucking faith in him?

Unfortunately, Naruto apparently read something else into Sasuke's scowl, because after a quick, warm pat on each of Sasuke's legs, the demon hurriedly stepped away. The tingling stopped immediately, allowing Sasuke to stand on his own, but before he could open his mouth to protest, Naruto clutched his arm.

The world went black.

Several long, literally heart-stopping moments later, the pair landed in Sasuke's kitchen. Having appeared at the same time, Sasuke found himself clutching the fox demon's torso in an effort to keep from falling to the ground. Growling, he snarled into Naruto's ear.

"Dammit, do you think you could have given me some _warning?_"

A pair of strong arms pushed him away, holding tightly until Sasuke balanced himself. Naruto frowned at him, then released him and stepped away.

"I'm sorry." The blond glanced away, sticking his hands in his pockets. "We didn't have any time left."

Disturbed by how quick Naruto had been to distance himself from Sasuke, the Uchiha heir frowned. "Alright."

The two stood in awkward silence, Naruto gazing at anything in the room that wasn't Sasuke.

"…Did you find what you were looking for?" the blond eventually asked, his voice subdued. Sasuke's hackles went up instinctively at the fox demon's tone.

"To some degree, yes," Sasuke snapped. "It took me a while to get those damn scrolls to cooperate, but I found out some of what I wanted to know." Sasuke's mood soured further when Naruto visibly tensed. Grinding his teeth, he glanced at the nearest window—

—And started in surprise. The moon hung low in the glass, framed by a velvet black sky.

"It's night already?" Sasuke turned to Naruto, incredulous. "It was barely morning when we left!"

Naruto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yes, it was morning when we left, but you spent several hours studying. I can't give you those hours back, because it'd be extending your life, in a way."

"And aside from keeping me alive in life-threatening situations, you can't do that," Sasuke murmured in agreement. Hundreds of arbitrary rules pounded through his mind, echoed faintly by a deep, dark voice. He shook his head to clear it. "You'd think that was geared towards keeping your masters from wishing immortality upon themselves and leaving it at that, wouldn't you?"

The blond stilled, lowering his hand slowly as he finally looked Sasuke in the eye. "What?"

Irritated despite himself, Sasuke folded his arms over his chest and glared at the fox demon. "I noticed something about those rules you have to follow. All of them look like they're tied to the master, to making your master happy and whatnot. They may have that effect, but that's not why they're there, is it?"

Now looking distinctly uncomfortable, Naruto began shifting his feet. "What do you mean?"

"Those rules aren't geared towards keeping your master happy. They're meant to punish_you_."

Blood drained from Naruto's face, leaving a pair of wide blue eyes in its wake. "W-what…"

Making a low, discontent noise in his throat, Sasuke began to pace. "Whoever set those rules didn't give a damn what your masters thought. He, it,_they_ cared only about making you suffer. The whole time I was reading those scrolls, they kept trying to convince me that punishing you was simply an eye for an eye, that it was all justified. They fucking _wanted_ me to abuse you. Why the hell is that?"

Even as he spoke, he could hear dark laughter echoing in his mind, accusingly. He could hear whispers of the true power Sasuke could command if he put all of those rules and punishments to use. He shook it off again, agitatedly. His head was beginning to pound, and the nausea he'd felt in that cursed room came back. Sasuke wasn't like that. He was guilty of many things, and he was reminded of his guilt every time he saw a villager turn their face from him in disgust, distrust, and disappointment.

But he was no torturer.

In his agitation, Sasuke began making wider circuits before the kitchen table. Long minutes later, Naruto still hadn't answered his question, blue eyes tracking the Uchiha's erratic movements in shock. When Sasuke finally stopped pacing and planted his hands on the table to glare at Naruto, the blond stirred.

"I…" The fox demon swallowed, then tried again. "No one's ever noticed that before. Those rules are supposed to keep me in line—"

"_Whose_ line?"

Naruto blinked again. "What?"

Another dark laugh in his mind caused sharp spikes of pain in his temples. Lifting a hand to his forehead, Sasuke pulled out a chair and sat heavily in it, glowering at the table. "If those rules really cared about what the master wanted, I wouldn't be able to hurt you inadvertently. I'd have to _want_ you to be in pain." Shocked silence met his statement. "Those rules don't give a damn about me. They're all about _you_."

When Naruto didn't reply, Sasuke looked up at him. The blond had turned his face away, jaw tense with some emotion that Sasuke couldn't decipher. Fists clenched, Naruto ground out, "Would it bother you if they were?"

Sighing with frustration, Sasuke ran a hand through his raven hair. "It bothers me, Naruto, but not because I want the focus on me. It just doesn't make sense, unless…" He trailed off, staring at the blond man in front of him.

Naruto still wouldn't look at him, posture stiff as a board. "Unless what?"

_Unless the whole** point **of the enslavement is to punish you. _"…Never mind," Sasuke finished quietly. What could Naruto have possibly done to deserve this level of cruelty? He shuddered slightly. Was it possible that those scrolls were right?

Sasuke shook his head vehemently. Impossible. Nothing that could be done by someone as eternally friendly as Naruto could possibly justify retaliation to this degree. Nothing.

_What about a vendetta? Maybe not something Naruto did, but something about Naruto himself that the people who enslaved him took offense to?_

_That,_ the Uchiha could see happening.

When Sasuke didn't continue the tense conversation, Naruto slowly began to relax. Blond eyes flitted uneasily about the room, glancing at Sasuke, then the table, then the floor, the window, and back to Sasuke. The silence quickly grew uncomfortable.

_Someone wanted Naruto to hurt_, he mused silently, carefully watching the blond man before him._ They wanted to hurt him in the most cruel, continuous, and demeaning way possible._ Sasuke's nausea grew stronger. _And they wanted __**me**__ to do it._

The very thought made him want to hurt something. He'd spent his entire life surrounded by expectations: his father's expectations that Sasuke would become a child prodigy like Itachi, his own expectations of making his older brother respect him, Itachi's expectations of Sasuke becoming stronger than him, and the village…

Until Sasuke had defected, Konoha had practically smothered him with affection. As the second son of such a prominent clan and as a boy following in Itachi's shoes, he'd been considered the darling of his ninja class. He had to be the best, no matter what he was doing. At school, he had to be at the top of his class. At home, he had to be a serious student who, if he didn't have the natural gifts of his older brother, was at least striving to accomplish the same merits or more than the other Uchiha. He was never allowed to relax amongst all of those hopes and aspirations, and could feel the weight of them wherever he went.

And then Itachi had slaughtered their family. Now, in addition to the horrifying loss, he was expected to destroy his brother, his idol, to avenge his clan. He'd never even been given time to grieve, bombarded as he was afterward by well-wishers and sympathizers. Half of those very people had expected Sasuke to turn out the same way, assuming that Sasuke would turn against the village. When he first ran off with Orochimaru, it hadn't bothered him that he was proving those old bastards right. Later, however, he'd had his epiphany. He didn't_ have_ to take the short route to defeat his brother. He didn't_ have_ to turn his back on everyone who'd supported him, the people who, even if he couldn't express his gratitude, had eased his burdens for a short while. He didn't have to plot and murder to become strong.

And when he'd returned, he'd found those burdens doubled. Now everyone knew him to be a traitor, a man supposedly without allegiances. For the first time, he gained openly antagonistic looks and chilling glances from people he didn't even know. The people who had adored him without question now hated him without question. Sasuke had thrown it off, telling himself that if he could defy his brother's wishes, the opinions of a few ignorant villagers couldn't matter much, either. His friends, such as they were, welcomed him, but it was clear in their eyes that they still expected him to run off again.

And through it all, he'd been so alone. Surrounded by his family, smothered by strangers, or distrusted by all, he was alone. Sasuke had been trained early on to hide his emotions away, because they would be viewed as a weakness. The villagers, all of them, had never learned that a lack of expression didn't necessitate a lack of feeling.

As had been his lot in life, Sasuke had simply coped with his social solitude and vowed to himself never to live by anyone's rules but his own. But then Naruto had come barreling into his life, sticking his claws in and dragging every hidden emotion, every smothered longing for closeness, every desperate desire of Sasuke's to the surface. Despite his discomfiture, the experience was unexpectedly refreshing, even freeing.

And now Sasuke was _expected_ to turn on him. Granted, he hadn't liked the demon much when they'd met, but that didn't mean that he was willing to torture him for the sake of power. That was why he'd left Orochimaru's service—a _lack_ of desire to destroy people for his own benefit. Sasuke may be a cold, detached bastard at times, but he wasn't a monster.

No matter what the villagers thought, no matter what his _brother_ thought, no matter what Naruto or those thrice-damned _scrolls_ thought—

Sasuke was not. A. Monster.

A sudden movement from the wary fox demon drew Sasuke abruptly out of his ruminations. Their eyes met briefly, but that short-lived contact only upset Sasuke further. Naruto was hiding it fairly well, but the distrust lurking in his eyes was poignant. Countless generations had mistreated this man. He was to be the next to do it.

_FUCK that._

In the thick silence that had settled upon the room, Naruto fidgeted, opening and closing his fists. With a barely audible sigh, the blond turned and strode to the stove, squatting down to pull out pots and pans from the cabinet beneath it. Sasuke frowned at the familiar sight. Over the last several days, Naruto had cooked all of Sasuke's meals without complaint (or being asked, for that matter), waiting until the Uchiha had finished eating before making anything for himself. He never even sat at the table, just leaned against the sink and watched Sasuke eat.

Before Sasuke was even aware that he'd moved, he found himself yanking a pan out of Naruto's hands and glaring at the startled blond. Mounting fury at all of the unfair assumptions about him coursed through his veins as he looked at the fox demon. The images from the scrolls bombarded him once again, layering Naruto's startled face with visions of it twisted in agony. Sasuke tried to shake the images off, but found to his dismay that they wouldn't leave him. Headache growing, he pointed the pan at Naruto.

"It's my turn to cook. Go sit down." The terse statement seemed to freeze Naruto to the spot.

"…But I always cook," Naruto replied, confusion thick in his low voice. Sasuke shooed him away with the pan he'd stolen, pointing irritably at the nearest chair.

"Sit!"

Naruto hesitantly moved to stand beside the chair and pulled it out, but he remained standing. "Seriously, Sasuke, I don't mind cooking. I'm used to it."

Movements sharp with the images and frustrated anger running through him, Sasuke slammed the pan down on the stove and stormed over to the fridge, pulling out meat and vegetables and slapping them on the counter. Naruto fell quiet behind him as the Uchiha heir savagely washed the vegetables, placed them on his cutting board, and picked up the biggest knife in his arsenal.

_Whack!_

"You've cooked for me every damn day since you got here. That's going to change."

_Whack!_

"But I'm used to cooking! And I saw all of those cooking programs on the terribision, so I know I can do it the way you guys like to eat these days—"

_WHACK!_

"And you're not going to do it anymore! Not every damn day, like you're my fucking maid."

_WHACK!_

Naruto exhaled heavily, obviously frustrated. "Sasuke, look, if I've done something to piss you off, I'm sorry, but you _know_ that I can't poison you or anything. Just let me—"

_Because I'd HURT you for it, right??_ Unable to contain himself any longer, Sasuke felt his anger finally bubble over and explode out of him.

"I don't need a fucking slave!!"

_THUNK._

The knife went clear through the carrot he was haphazardly chopping, sticking out of the wood cutting board at an awkward angle. Placing his hands on the counter, Sasuke leaned forward and hung his head. His stomach was veritably churning, and the bitter taste of bile stung his throat. Naruto was silent behind him. Taking a slow, steadying breath, Sasuke continued.

"I don't need a slave. I don't want a slave. A slave is someone who will always resent me, always have their own vendetta, always be looking for a way to get back at me for the rest of my god damn life. _Fuck_ that." Straightening, he gripped the knife and freed it with a grunt. "What I _need_ is a partner. Someone who isn't being_ degraded_ to have anything to do with me. Someone who'll watch my back, period, instead of just making sure I don't get myself killed."

When Naruto still didn't reply, Sasuke resumed chopping his sadly mangled carrot with a bit more calm than before. He didn't have to be like his ancestors, and he didn't have to live up to the horrific ideal of his brother or the villagers. Now he just had to prove it. "So what we're going to do is trade off. If you make breakfast, I'll make dinner. I'll do my own damn laundry, and if we have time, we'll go out and get you some clothes of your own. I'm neat, so if you mess something up, clean up after yourself. But you're _not_ my maid, you're not my _chef_, and you're not my bodyguard. And you're NOT my slave."

Sasuke heard the heavy_ thud_ of a body hitting a chair, hard. When he turned, he found Naruto staring at him in blank shock. He looked like his legs had given out from under him.

"…You're serious." The incredulity in his voice set Sasuke's teeth on edge. "You honestly want me to be a…partner?"

"I said I did, didn't I?" Sasuke snapped. Naruto continued to stare.

"Then why are you so upset?" the blond asked quietly. He still looked like his world had tilted on its axis. Anger built up again, mixed with the severe frustration Sasuke'd been fighting his entire life. Words burst out of him.

"Because I can't change what those bastards did to you!" Throwing the knife on the counter, he spun to face Naruto fully. "I _saw_ what those sick fucks put you through. I'm not like them! I'm _nothing_ like them, dammit to motherfucking hell! I don't even _want_ to be!"

Breathing heavily, Sasuke spun back around and glared down at the counter. "I'm not going to treat you like some…deranged, rabid _animal_ just because my ancestors did. It's sick! Maybe I'm the weak one in the family for thinking this way, but I'll be _damned_ if you get treated that way ever again! I won't—"

A pair of warm arms stole around him, pulling him back into a tight hug. A face buried itself in his shoulder as those arms squeezed. Sasuke's eyes closed of their own volition at the unfamiliar sensation of being embraced, and his angry words fled from him. Emotionally wrung out from his outburst, Sasuke felt his body tense instinctively, but he didn't pull away. The two stood silently for a long moment, Sasuke's midnight eyes staring blindly at the countertop. Naruto just breathed into his shoulder.

Slowly, the unnatural warmth of the blond began chasing away the frightening chill that had rooted itself in Sasuke's spine from the first moment he'd heard Naruto's past master refer to him as "the creature." Gingerly, Sasuke placed a hand upon Naruto's left hand, feeling the cold enslavement band chill his skin. Sasuke's eyelids lowered, feeling his stomach churn again.

"I'm not one of them," he stated in a hoarse voice. "God, Naruto, I swear I'm not. I'm nothing like those sick bastards."

After a long moment, Naruto slowly nodded against his shoulder. "…I know."

As the embrace continued, Sasuke found himself growing more uncomfortable. Even as a child, he'd been rarely embraced, and as an adult, he never allowed it. Naruto as a fox was one thing, but as a man…the physical contact was more than a little unsettling. It was as if all of Sasuke's senses had been put on high alert. Even as he stood there, tolerating the touch, the broad planes of Naruto's chest suddenly felt well-defined, as if Sasuke could sketch it from memory just from the memory of its scorching heat upon his back. Discomfort growing, Sasuke swallowed hard and pulled out of the embrace, gently tugging at Naruto's arms until they released him.

Ignoring the strange, faint blush that wanted to rise to his cheeks, Sasuke pulled at Naruto's left hand and gazed at it intently. He could feel Naruto's eyes burning into his face, but the ring served as some manner of distraction. He frowned.

_This one malicious piece of metal is what keeps Naruto in a constant state of doubt and fear. I wonder…_

Lifting the demon's hand before his midnight eyes, Sasuke placed his free fingers lightly upon the ring. It turned warm at his touch, glowing a faint, warning red. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

_Whoever you are,_ Sasuke thought savagely, _I'm not playing by your rules any longer. We do this __**my**__ way from now on._ Tearing his eyes, which had subconsciously switched into the Sharingan, away from the ring, Sasuke stared determinedly into Naruto's gaze. The blond's eyes had never remained blue for an entire confrontation before now, and the lack of the belligerent red gaze struck Sasuke to the core. Maybe the Uchiha heir was an idiot, and maybe most of the villagers and his brother would agree with that assessment, but he was going to get the snippy, snarky, irritating-as-hell fox demon back if it killed him. He wanted to erase the doubt and unease in that cerulean gaze.

While they stared at each other, Sasuke caught a slight flicker of hope in the depths of Naruto's eyes, darting about like a flame that was seconds from being extinguished. Just the sight of that faltering hope made the ever-present warmth in his chest burn hotter, and Sasuke grit his teeth decisively.

There was only one way to keep that hope alive.

"Naruto," he began. The blond didn't reply, but Sasuke could almost physically feel Naruto's gaze sharpening upon him. The Uchiha heir closed his eyes.

"I wish that I could feel the same pain from your ring that you do."

* * *

Naruto's heart stopped. 

When several seconds passed, Sasuke opened his Sharingan-lit eyes again, complete seriousness contained within him. Naruto couldn't help it. He stared.

"You…what?" he managed to reply, voice hoarse with shock. As though dazed, but aware that it was running late, Naruto's heart resumed beating. Blood began roaring through his ears.

"If that damn piece of metal hurts you, I want to know it. I want to feel the same pain." Sasuke's grip tightened upon Naruto's left hand. "I didn't have time to study all of the rules you have to obey, and I'm not sure I could avoid them all even if I had. It's the quickest way to ensure that I don't hurt you."

Naruto needed to sit down again. "Sasuke, I…you…" Shaking his head violently, he pulled away from the brunet and tugged his hand free. "I…I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I can't grant something like that. Any pain you felt would double back upon me."

The other man scowled. "It isn't a thought, Naruto, it's a wish. I don't have the time I need to study, so consider this my crash course in dealing with that damn ring." Lifting a hand to his chin, Sasuke began pacing again, agitatedly. "Isn't there any way that you can grant it?"

It was too much to hope for. Sasuke _couldn't_ be serious. In more than fourteen generations of human masters, not one, ONE, had ever wished to be placed on the same level as him, much less demanded that they become equal partners. It wasn't possible. He couldn't believe humans, even one as odd as Sasuke, would willingly give up that much control over him. They didn't think that way. They _couldn't_.

Abruptly angry, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's wrist and squeezed, hard. He could feel fire flickering underneath his skin, ready to lash out at the Uchiha, consequences be damned. Sasuke started, looking up at him with a furrowed brow as Naruto loomed over him.

"Sasuke, I _swear_," he rasped. "If you're playing with me, setting me up for a fall, I'll…"

A flash of memory darted past Naruto's reddened eyes, hearing screams and watching blood splatter walls that had long since been torn down. He shook it off.

Sasuke took the increased pressure upon his wrist without flinching, meeting Naruto's eyes with fire burning in his own. "I'm not. I want us on an even playing field, Naruto." His gaze sharpened, piercing Naruto through all the barriers it'd taken him centuries to build up. The fox demon flinched. "I don't associate with those who are beneath me. We'll go on as equals, or not at all."

Naruto's heart was pounding furiously. Was it really possible? If he were to find a way to grant Sasuke's wish, would he really continue to treat Naruto as a person? Could he really trust Sasuke that much?

Abruptly, his ring began to burn like the fires of hell itself, causing Naruto to hiss and pull away, clutching his hand to his chest. He caught a flash of an enraged, ethereal face in his mind, and then had to clamp his eyes shut to ride out the pain. Despite himself, he pulled a strained smirk.

_If the bastard's pissed, I must be on the right track._ Eventually, the pain receded, allowing Naruto to take note of the concerned hands on his shoulders and the irate master yelling into his ear.

"You see?? This is the kind of shit I want to prevent! What the hell did I do?" Sasuke's hands flitted over his back, patting him awkwardly. In a flash of intuition, it suddenly occurred to Naruto that Sasuke was attempting to heal him and failing miserably. Chuckling lightly, Naruto straightened and clasped Sasuke's increasingly wandering hands in his own. The blond smiled.

"Believe it or not, I don't think that one had anything to do with you." He paused, staring down at his apparently well-intentioned master. "You tried to heal me just now, didn't you?"

Amazingly, Sasuke flushed. "I told you that I'm trying to find a way to _avoid_ punishing you. And what the hell do you mean, it had nothing to do with me? Are you telling me that the person who did this to you is still alive?"

Naruto snorted, still holding Sasuke's wrists aloft. "Oh, he's definitely still alive. I think everyone would have noticed if he died."

At the mention of his enslaver, Naruto's ring gave another painful twinge. He ignored it in favor of thinking, an idea beginning to form in the recesses of his mind. Technically, it would grant Sasuke's wish. But did he trust the Uchiha enough?

To his surprise, Sasuke's expression darkened.

"Fuck him. If he's still controlling you through that ring on top of all these damn rules, I'm going to find a way to stop it. You may be forced to answer to _me_, but I want you _only_ answering to me." Looking away, Sasuke added darkly, "At least _I_ won't treat you like shit."

Naruto blinked.

He was going to do it.

* * *

The fox demon didn't reply to Sasuke's bloodthirsty comment, choosing instead to stare at him with a bemused smile on his face. Sasuke scowled. 

"What?"

Naruto shook his head, his smile becoming somewhat self-deprecating. "It's nothing." He took a deep breath. "Do you really want to feel the pain my ring generates?"

Frustration rose up in him. "I already _wished_ for it, didn't I? Yes!"

"…All right, then. Come with me." With that, Naruto released Sasuke's hands and turned to walk into the hallway, turning left before Sasuke's bedroom to head towards the back of the house. After a moment's hesitation, Sasuke followed. The pair passed his washroom on their right, soon followed by the door to his father's study. Just the sight of it sent a strange, anticipatory shiver down Sasuke's spine.

What was Naruto planning?

When they entered the study, the blond went straight for the now-visible door between his father's desk and the bookshelf. Naruto pushed it open, glanced back at Sasuke, and gestured with his head to follow him as he proceeded down the steps. Seconds after Sasuke crossed the doorway, the door swung shut.

Their quiet footsteps echoed in the stone hall as they walked, though this time, Sasuke found that the impenetrable darkness wasn't so…impenetrable. As he scanned the dark walls, the stone jumped into his sight without the need for his Sharingan. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced at his companion to ask him about the difference.

And, with a start, realized that Naruto was glowing.

The man's red chakra swirled around him, skittering out to touch the walls briefly before pulling in again, bathing the pair in a soft, warm glow. Sasuke stared at him.

_It's like he's my own personal lantern._ Despite the turmoil of the last few hours, Sasuke found a smirk threatening.

"Naruto?"

The man didn't turn, but he tilted his head in response. "Hmm?"

"You do realize that you're glowing."

The blond glanced down at himself, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Huh. Would you look at that?"

Sasuke shook his head. Clearly dismissing the phenomenon, Naruto shrugged and continued walking. After a few more steps, his chakra flung itself out sideways, lighting the pair of torches in a burst of flame. The blond stopped glowing.

Before them, the ornate wooden cabinet gleamed in the torchlight, almost as though it had been polished recently. The ruby spirals seemed even brighter than they were the last time Sasuke had seen them, practically dancing across the wood. With only a moment's hesitation, Naruto reached forward and tugged on two small, brass rings. The doors swung open.

Sasuke couldn't help it—he flinched. The last time those doors opened, he'd found himself surrounded by Kyuubi's notably powerful chakra, and he_ still_ wasn't entirely sure he understood how he'd survived it. Goosebumps rose on his arms at the memory, and Sasuke took a moment to rub them. Quelling an instinctive shudder, he stepped up beside Naruto and cautiously glanced inside.

Several ornate pillows and boxes lined the interior of the cabinet, gold and silver glinting in the firelight. The boxes all stood at differing heights—three resting upon a single pillow each towards the front, four resting upon two pillows each behind them, two large, gold-plated containers behind those on three pillows each, and one small structure that looked like a miniature shrine in the back center, standing upon a black wooden pillar. Several small cups with incense ashes were interspersed with the obviously cherished containers. Chains of gold leaf hung from the roof of the cabinet, each strand dangling lower as they reached the front.

Sasuke gawked. If he didn't know better, he'd say that he'd just been shown a personal shrine to Kyuubi. But that was impossible, wasn't it? His mouth worked, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Naruto stared into the cabinet for a long moment, sighing lightly. Shaking his head, he reached for a small, red wooden box in the front row, lifting it carefully off the center pillow. Clutching it tightly in both hands, he turned to face the bewildered Uchiha. His knuckles turned white.

"Sasuke…" Naruto took a steadying breath. "I've never shown any of my masters what I'm about to show you. None of them even knew that it existed." He stared down at the box in his hands, running his fingers over the unmarked wood. "The fact is, if anyone else had made the wish that you had, I would have claimed that I couldn't grant it and left it at that."

Sasuke's shoulders tensed involuntarily. "'Claimed'?"

Red eyes rose to meet his. "Yes. Technically, this is outside of the terms of my enslavement. I don't have to give this to you, but…" Naruto took another deep breath, his hands beginning to tremble. "I'm choosing to trust you, Sasuke."

Swallowing hard at the weight with which those words were delivered, Sasuke nodded. Naruto gave him an analyzing look, red eyes flickering back and forth between Sasuke's, and then lowered his own back to the box in his hands. Lifting his right thumb, Naruto transformed his human fingernail back into a fox-like claw. He drew the claw down the unbroken top of the box in a zigzagging pattern—down, left, down, right, down, left—until he reached the bottom of the lid. Both heard a soft "click" as he lifted the claw, the appendage melting back into a human fingernail. Naruto placed both thumbs atop the box, then looked up at Sasuke.

"Keep in mind, Sasuke, that this is a loan, not a gift. I expect it back from you." When the Uchiha nodded, Naruto pushed with his thumbs. The lid slid off. With one hand, Naruto placed the lid underneath the box and held it up, presenting the contents to the Uchiha heir.

A necklace lay inside the box on a red silk pillow. It held one small, light blue crystal, framed on either side by a small glass bead. A thin silver chain pooled upon the pillow, lying passively above the crystal.

Sasuke's mouth went dry. He lifted a hand hesitantly, but he didn't reach into the small box. "What is it?"

"A gift," Naruto replied in a low voice. "A woman gave it to me a long, long time ago, saying that it was mine by right, anyway." He paused. "She called it my 'heart'."

At those words, Sasuke's palms began to sweat. He stared at Naruto incredulously.

"You're giving me your heart?"

Naruto's cheeks flushed. "Only on a loaning basis, I told you. I'll want it back eventually." His cheeks grew redder. "And she was speaking metaphorically, I'm sure."

Sasuke slowly reached a hand into the box, running a finger against the cool crystal. It grew warmer with his touch. Clearing his throat, Naruto shifted his stance.

"If you wear this necklace, it'll basically override the ring I'm wearing. If it causes me pain, you'll feel it, too. If you decide that you really don't want me to feel any pain, I won't." His grip shifted upon the box, all of his nails growing to sharp points. "Don't take this lightly, Sasuke. If you turn on me, this necklace will make sure that I hurt far more than the damned ring could ever hope for."

Sasuke's hand froze, mid-touch. Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet the angry, wary red orbs before him. Naruto was clinging to the box like it was his last chance at salvation, but determination burned in his eyes. Overwhelmed, Sasuke pulled his hand away.

"Why would you trust me with this?" he found himself whispering. Despite all of Sasuke's personal convictions, Naruto had no way of knowing how sincere he was. "How do you know I won't use it to hurt you?"

"I don't." Naruto closed his eyes briefly, then opened them to spear Sasuke with his normal, sky blue gaze. "I wasn't given a chance when I needed it the most. I won't make the same mistake with you."

After a poignant pause, Naruto held the box away from him, pushing it towards Sasuke's chest.

"Please. Take it."

Hands shaking, Sasuke reached into the box and cautiously removed the necklace. The crystal warmed instantly to his touch, flushing a light pink within the milky depths. Swallowing hard, Sasuke moved to place the chain over his head, then paused and stared into Naruto's eyes.

"I swear to you, Kyuubi no Kitsune," he stated quietly. Naruto straightened, eyes flashing red. "I swear on my family's grave that you won't regret giving me this."

Missing the slight furrowing of Naruto's brow, Sasuke closed his eyes and settled the chain over his head, starting when the burning crystal landed upon his chest. The glow he'd had under his breast ever since he'd released Kyuubi grew wildly, swelling in his chest and spreading down his arms. Gasping, Sasuke opened his eyes.

_A woman, breathtakingly beautiful, sat before him at a loom, expertly weaving a tapestry. Light poured from her in blinding waves, choking Sasuke with her brilliance. As if startled by his appearance, the woman turned slowly to face him. Her clear blue eyes appraised him, ruby lips parting in a gesture of elegant surprise. One shining hand parted from her loom to point in his direction._

"_**He gave it to you?**__"_

_Tears streaming down his face, Sasuke closed his eyes. Even when he didn't look at her, her light poured through him, unbearable in its beauty. In a jerky movement, he nodded._

_Despite his shut eyes, Sasuke felt her smile as clearly as if he'd seen it. A warm hand caressed his cheek._

"_**Take care of him**__."_

"Sasuke??"

The Uchiha heir's midnight eyes snapped open and he doubled over, wheezing heavily. Tears were pouring from his stinging eyes as he fought for breath, sobbing. _That woman…_

A pair of gentle hands wrapped around him, supporting his weight. Trembling, Sasuke swiped at his tears and glanced up. Naruto was gazing down at him, concern written on his whiskered face. Unthinkingly, Sasuke reached up and pressed the back of his hand upon Naruto's cheek in a light caress. Blond eyebrows flew up in shock.

"Sasuke, are you alright? You looked a little spacey for a minute there."

Blinking, Sasuke abruptly came back to himself. He dropped his hand as if burned. "I'm fine." He winced internally at the tear-roughened huskiness of his voice. "I just…saw something I didn't expect to."

"Oh? What was that?" Naruto wrapped one arm more firmly about Sasuke's waist, tugging the smaller man against him. One hand now freed, he reached over to place the opened box back upon its pillow and closed the cabinet doors. Sasuke shook his head.

"With all the weird things I've seen today, I doubt you'd believe me even if I told you."

Unsteadily, Sasuke began walking back towards the chamber's entrance, still locked against the blond's side by an immovable arm. Naruto followed without complaint, gazing at him curiously. After a long moment, the blond gave Sasuke a small smile.

"You might be surprised."

* * *

As the pair climbed the darkened stairs, Naruto's hold on Sasuke tightened. Frowning, the brunet glanced over at him. 

"You know, Naruto, I can climb these stairs without you helping me," Sasuke stated irritably. Naruto flashed him a weak smile, his glow—which had returned as soon as the torches had gone out behind them with their departure—fainter than it had been on the way down.

"I know that, Sasuke. Who says I'm hanging on for your benefit?" He sighed wearily, relief and exhaustion weighing down his shoulders. As soon as the necklace had touched Sasuke's skin, a shock of warmth and contentment had shot through the fox demon, enough that he had physically shaken for an instant. Sasuke hadn't noticed, busy as he'd been crying and looking like he was being possessed, but in that moment, Naruto _knew_ that he'd made the right choice.

Even though he hadn't worn the necklace for several hundred years, he'd always felt a slight ache in his breast at the loss of it.

When the crystal had touched Sasuke's skin, that ache had disappeared.

That was good enough for him.

Of course, now that he, amazingly enough, didn't have to worry about Sasuke stripping his flesh off at any given moment, Naruto felt ready to just drop where he stood. Only the chakra exchange going on between their connected sides allowed him to keep moving.

Traveling two hundred years round trip would do that to a man.

At his comment, Sasuke stopped, turned, and gazed at him suspiciously, eyes roving over the fox demon's face. Too worn out to try and hide anything, Naruto simply watched his master—partner—_whatever_ he'd made himself—in return. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed.

"You're exhausted, aren't you," Sasuke accused, a scowl forming on his aristocratic face.

Naruto shrugged, eyes flickering down to the Uchiha's twisted lips. "I'm a little tired, yeah. But you know, now that we're equal and all…" Reaching out with his free hand, he touched his index finger to Sasuke's downturned mouth. The other man jerked his head away, startled. Weakly, Naruto smiled. "You really shouldn't scowl so much. It'll put lines on your pretty face."

Sasuke stared at him, face bathed in Naruto's red glow. The brunet's eyes narrowed before swinging away, and Sasuke resumed trudging up the stairs.

"What the hell did I say about flirting with me?" he muttered.

The blond's weak smile grew. "Aw, you're all bark, Sasuke. You like it, admit it. Even if you don't lean towards men, I'm still a pretty man." He batted his eyes. "I'll bet I secretly set your heart aflutter."

Scowling, Sasuke tried to pull away, but Naruto reeled him back in, drawing on a little of Sasuke's chakra to do so. The exchange, vital as it was, was still minimal enough on the human side that few of his masters had ever been consciously aware that he was doing it. The Uchiha gave in with a growl.

"You do not. And besides, aren't _you_ the one who just gave me your 'heart'?" Sasuke smirked. "Maybe _you're_ the one who's falling for_ me_."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're going to get mileage out of this one forever, aren't you?" he grumbled. "I _said_ that was metaphorical, and I want that necklace back eventually anyway!"

Snorting, Sasuke gave him a slanted look. "You keep telling yourself that, Naruto."

Naruto groaned, but he lodged no further complaints. _Bastard will just keep snarking at me if I do._ They finally, _finally_ reached the entrance door—and whose bright idea was it to make his chamber a _closet_ anyway?? Isolation or no, that's just insulting—and Naruto felt his glow shut off with a sigh of relief. Sasuke shot another narrow-eyed look at him.

"You're not just 'tired,' Naruto, you look ready to collapse." The Uchiha heir moved to put his arms about the fox demon's waist, causing Naruto to jump in surprise. Sasuke glared at him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, two hundred years both ways is a bit of a long trip." Naruto shrugged, glancing away. "I wasn't sure how you'd react when we got back, having read those scrolls and all, so…"

To his surprise, Sasuke didn't respond, neither with the anger before nor his typical indignation. Glancing back at him, Naruto found those midnight eyes contemplating the floor of the study. Shifting with discomfort, Naruto awkwardly patted the Uchiha on the back.

"Of course, now I know that you're just going to pitch a hissy fit and cling to me. I won't make that mistake twice," he announced cheerily. Sasuke glared at him.

"Oh, shut up." Grabbing the arm about his waist and tossing it over his shoulder instead, Sasuke shifted to support more of Naruto's weight. Naruto somewhat doubted that the slender frame pressed against him could take all of his weight, but when he felt his ribcage hefted slightly without even a grunt, he changed his mind.

_Ninja. Right._ Shaking his head softly, Naruto allowed himself to be led out of the study, walking back along the hallway, past the kitchen, and straight into the living room, where Naruto could already see his beloved couch swinging into view. Separating himself from Sasuke, Naruto stumbled over to the couch and sank down upon it gratefully. Sighing, he tipped his head back against the lovely, soft piece of furniture, nearly groaning at the feel of the cushions. Almost immediately, the edges of his vision went black.

Sasuke stepped quickly into view, looking down at him with a mixture of exasperation and concern. Naruto weakly smiled up at him.

"Just gimme a minute, and I'll get up and—"

Sasuke stalled his comment by lifting a hand. "You're not going anywhere. Just relax for a bit and watch some damn TV. I'll make dinner."

Naruto wanted to sit up in protest, he really did, but his fatigued body would no longer cooperate. "But—"

"We're not having this discussion again, Naruto." Grumpily, the Uchiha swiped the terribision's remote off the coffee table and turned the magic machine on. He handed the remote over, placing it gently in Naruto's slack grip. Nodding, he patted the blond briefly on the shoulder and made his way towards the kitchen. "Just stay there. If you move and fall down, I'm not going to pick you up."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto muttered at Sasuke's retreating back. He stared after the boy thoughtfully, touched by his obvious concern. Naruto honestly couldn't remember the last time someone was genuinely concerned about him, before Sasuke. His comrades in the wars of old were fiercely loyal, but that same unwavering belief in him kind of shot down any potential "concern" for his welfare. No one else really knew what he was, so he didn't really count their feelings. Sasuke, on the other hand, knew exactly what Naruto was and how powerful the demon could become.

And he was still mothering him, in his own pissy way, just because Naruto was tired.

Something in Naruto's chest loosened the tiniest bit. With a sigh, he ignored the terribision in favor of closing his eyes, listening to the unprecedented sounds of someone actually making a meal for him.

It was nice, being cared for.

* * *

Sasuke gazed solemnly at the perfectly cooked dish in front of him. The scent of sautéed beef and vegetables tickled his nose, proof that he didn't need to be a centuries-old demon to cook well. Without a word, he picked up the two plates and returned to the living room, where the TV was quietly playing. He placed his own dish on the table and turned to Naruto, ready to hand over the probably much-needed meal-

-And paused.

The blond was sound asleep, face tilted to the side with his lips slightly parted. His broad chest slowly rose and fell, deep breaths faintly audible even with the television going in the background. Despite himself, Sasuke found his expression softening as he watched the other man sleep. It was the first time he'd seen the blond unconscious, since he tended to switch to his fox form when he was tired. To fall asleep in human form, Sasuke couldn't imagine how tired he must have been.

The strange necklace he'd been given gave a light throb, sending a pulse of heat into Sasuke's chest. Unthinkingly, he reached up to clasp it for a moment. The warmth relaxed him automatically, much the way Kyuubi's heat tended to when the fox snuggled up to him in bed. Questions frothed on his tongue, but one look at the other man's exhausted face convinced him to let them wait for the moment. Releasing the crystal, Sasuke reluctantly reached forward with his free hand and gripped a strong shoulder, shaking it lightly.

"Oi, Naruto. Naruto!"

"Nmmh?" Sleepy blue eyes peeled open, looking up at him in confusion. "D'd I fall asleep?"

Sasuke found himself fighting a smile. "Apparently. I made dinner, and before you ask, no, it's not ramen."

Grunting, Naruto fought to sit up in what even Sasuke had to admit was an adorable fashion, arms and legs flailing. Smothering a chuckle, Sasuke set the plate down on the table and helped the blond sit upright. He was graced with a beatific smile for his efforts, simply proving that the fox demon was still out of it. Shaking his head, Sasuke handed Naruto a plate and a pair of chopsticks.

"Eat," he ordered quietly. Naruto's brow furrowed in concentration as he took the proffered items.

"I thought we were 'equals' now. Why are you still bossing me around?" the demon murmured in reply, taking a quick bite of the food. His golden eyebrows lifted at the taste, and he visibly grew more awake. Sending a smirk towards Sasuke, he took another bite. "Don't tell me that's how you actually talk to normal people."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and eat. You need the energy."

Picking up his own plate, Sasuke sat beside the blond and began to eat quietly. Warmth slowly began to radiate from the blond as they ate, almost like the blond was a heater that Sasuke had poured propane into. Bemused, Sasuke shook his head and focused on the TV.

Naruto finished long before Sasuke did, setting the plate and chopsticks down with a happy sigh. "You may be a prickly bastard, Sasuke, but you're a good cook. I think I can live with that 'deal' of yours."

Rolling his eyes again, Sasuke slipped the last few pieces of beef into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "I'm glad you enjoyed," he stated dryly after swallowing.

Naruto shot him a cheeky grin. "I did. Maybe it was because you made it with _loooove_."

Sasuke glared at him.

"Intense like?" More glaring. "Somewhat like? Reluctant like with a hint of irritation and denial?"

"Naruto, shut up._ Please_."

Chuckling, the blond folded his arms behind his head and turned to face the television. Sasuke managed to finish his meal in peace, setting the plate next to Naruto's and leaning back. He honestly didn't know—or care—what nonsense was playing on the screen in front of him, but he knew that Naruto was probably enjoying it, so he left it on and refrained from commenting. Over the last few days, the blond had shown an appalling taste for soap operas, but it seemed that anything that flashed and made noise was suitable entertainment. Sasuke instead used the time to mull over the information he'd found in the scrolls.

Aside from the astonishingly long list of rules, the black scroll had made several references to the strength of their bond and unleashing Naruto's full power. Sasuke certainly had no intention of trying to wring power out of his reluctant "partner," but maybe if he asked, Naruto would tell him about it of his own free will. Sasuke could always hope, and they _were_ going to be stuck together for an outrageously long time.

While Sasuke was lost in thought, Naruto began to fidget next to him. He brought his arms down from behind his head to rest them on his lap, then began tapping his knee, then began tapping both knees, and finally began bouncing his legs up and down. Throughout it all, he kept glancing at Sasuke.

Sasuke finally noticed the blond's increasingly erratic movements and looked over at him, lifting an eyebrow in question. Naruto's cheeks flushed, and the blond's eyebrows furrowed.

"Sasuke, I…" Looking frustrated with himself, Naruto trailed off and turned to glare at the TV. The Uchiha heir lifted both eyebrows in expectation, but when the blond simply stared straight forward, he eventually faced forward again. They sat in relative silence for several minutes.

_Poof._

Starting in surprise, Sasuke looked down to find an irritated Kyuubi sitting on the couch next to him, tails swirling. Without a word, the fox clambered onto his lap and sat down decisively, glaring up at him with his ears flat against his head. Sasuke frowned down at him.

"Naruto, what…?"

The fox's eyes narrowed, ears pressing tighter against his head. With a low noise, Kyuubi placed both front paws against Sasuke's chest, leaned up, and looked Sasuke in the eye. The fox growled.

Scowling now, Sasuke lifted his hands to the fox's sides. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Kyuubi shifted his paws, glaring at him menacingly. "I don't want to hear any grief for this."

Before Sasuke could ask what he was talking about, Kyuubi darted forward—

—And licked him on the cheek.

Blinking in shock, Sasuke stared down at the fox on his lap. Nodding sharply to himself, Kyuubi settled down and turned around, pressing his back against Sasuke's chest and determinedly staring at the TV. His ears were still pressed back.

After a long moment, Sasuke felt a smile steal across his face. Lifting a hand, he began to stroke Kyuubi's back. The fox relaxed immediately, leaning back against him and lifting his ears. Sasuke's smile grew.

_You're welcome, Kyuubi._

The pair sat in comfortable silence, watching the blinking television while Sasuke continued to pet the fox on his lap.

Neither paid it any attention.


	11. Heat

**Author's note:**** Sorry about the wait. I had a few difficulties, and wasn't much in the mood for writing for a while, but they seem to be working themselves out. Besides, I got to go to a penis festival earlier this week, and who can be in a bad mood after that? If you want more on that, though, you'll have to go to my livejournal. ;) **

**Much thanks, again, to arcane for beta-reading (and Jay for alpha reading, hahaha). I feel like this chapter is the end of an arc, somehow. At any rate, I'm looking forward to writing the next chap, hahaha.  
**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Voices swept through the room, jarring the relative silence with unnaturally loud exclamations and music. With a jolt, Sasuke peeled open his surprisingly heavy eyelids and glared at the source of the noise. The TV was still playing, quiet aside from the occasionally blaring commercial. Eyeing the black box distastefully, Sasuke fumbled for the remote at his side, found it, and shut the TV off. The resulting silence soothed his battered ears, and the Uchiha heir relaxed subconsciously. 

Sasuke stifled a yawn with the back of his left hand, shifting on the couch uncomfortably. His head felt like it'd been stuffed full of cotton, and he shook his head lightly in an attempt to clear it. His eyes felt gummy, his back was protesting mildly, and overall he felt like he'd been hit by a train.

Or rather, he felt like a train had just _barely_ missed him.

Truth be told, Sasuke couldn't even remember falling asleep. He'd been ignoring the TV, idly petting Kyuubi, and then…nothing. The brunet frowned grumpily, scratching his chest. He hated falling asleep when he hadn't planned on it—it always left him confused when he woke up, like he'd had several hours stolen from him without his consent. Yawning again, he started to straighten up.

The warm weight on his lap muttered quietly, shifted, and resettled on top of him. Sasuke froze, glancing down.

Kyuubi lay curled up, half on his lap and half off it, hind legs splayed behind him and his tails spilling off the couch. The fox's head was tucked into the furrow between Sasuke's waist and his right leg, his long ears tickling the brunet's hip. One front paw was tucked up underneath Kyuubi's chest, but the other gripped Sasuke's right thigh with surprising strength. In fact, Kyuubi looked remarkably like a small child cuddling his favorite teddy. All he lacked was a finger in his mouth.

Despite himself, Sasuke smiled wearily down at the fox demon in his lap. Kyuubi put up a big fuss, as he did with everything, but between the demon cuddling up to Sasuke every night and the way he'd more or less demanded to be pet when they first settled on the couch, it was obvious that the fox adored the attention. Adored it, and maybe even _needed_ it in some way. Everything about him, from his yellow hair to his abrasive attitude, screamed, "Look at me!" It was amazing that such an attention hound had managed to survive this long in captivity, much less the complete isolation he'd suffered through over the last century and a half. Sasuke found himself imagining Kyuubi curled up in a corner of that mini shrine, lost in darkness for decade after decade. In some small, unacknowledged part of his heart, the image caused a brief, sharp pain, like he'd been pricked with a needle. Uncomfortably, Sasuke tried to shrug the feeling off.

"_You're the first one who hasn't tried to lock me up like an animal…"_

The crystal on his chest warmed at the memory, casting a faint glow over Sasuke's chest. Eyebrows furrowed contemplatively, he reached up and closed his fingers over the pendant. According to Naruto, the deceptively simple necklace held the power to override his enslavement ring, bringing relief or pain as Sasuke saw fit. After all the demon had been through, how could he give his trust so easily? 

And what would happen if Sasuke, for some reason, broke that trust?

Pressure accumulated on his temples, forcing Sasuke to close his eyes and rub his forehead tiredly. He'd never been given trust of this magnitude, nor had the weight of someone's entire life in his hands before. What if he failed, just as he had with everything else in his life? According to his father, Itachi, and anyone else Sasuke had ever looked up to, Sasuke had never been good enough, never strong enough, smart enough, or fast enough to do what needed to be done. And now he had a demon's life (a demon who'd already had the chance to kill him and implausibly decided to pass on it) literally hanging about his neck.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke fought the swarm of doubts with a spark of grim determination. Someone, somewhere, had decided that he was good enough to handle the most powerful demon on Earth. All he had to do was grow stronger.

The light from the crystal pulsed and faded, leaving only the still lit lamps to chase away the shadows in the room. Suddenly hit with a fresh wave of exhaustion, Sasuke lifted his left hand and nudged the fox on his lap.

"Oi, Kyuubi," he murmured softly. The fox failed to respond, breathing slowly and deeply. Sasuke nudged him again, with a bit more force. "Kyuubi. Wake up."

No response, aside from a quiet snore.

Frowning, Sasuke shifted his legs, jostling the demon. "Kyuubi!" 

Slowly, the eye nearest him began to peel open, revealing a slice of pale blue. Kyuubi blinked once, exhaustedly, and then let the eye slide shut again. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke placed a hand on the fox's back and shook him.

"Kyuubi, I'm not sleeping out here all night. Come on. We need to go to bed."

Kyuubi grumbled under his breath, lifting his head as though it weighed a hundred kilos. He hunched his shoulders, stretching his paws out in front of him and nearly gouging Sasuke's leg as he curled them. Sasuke scowled and batted him on the head.

"Hey! Watch those claws, moron," he chastised half-heartedly. The fox ignored him in favor of nearly cracking his face in two with a mighty yawn.

Waking routine finally done, Kyuubi looked up at him with his eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Sasuke hit him softly on the flank, jostling his legs deliberately. Kyuubi's eyes opened a bit more to fire a deadly glare at him, but with his rumpled fur, the glare lost all effect. Amused, the Uchiha heir smirked.

"Come on, get up. You're heavier than you look," Sasuke teased. He could feel Kyuubi's growl reverberating through his legs, and he found his smirk widening to a small smile. "Up, fox legs. Let's go."

With a world-weary sigh that would have made the Oscar committee proud, Kyuubi finally rose to his feet and dropped to the floor with a semi-graceless _thud_. Sasuke snorted, leaning forward to look down at the fox. Kyuubi glared up at him in return.

"Bast'rd Uch'ha," Kyuubi muttered, rubbing a paw over his eyes. "'Was havin' a good dream, too."

Sasuke desperately smothered a smile, rising to his feet. "I'm sure you were. Now come on."

When Sasuke made his way towards the bedroom, Kyuubi obediently followed, though he dragged his feet and muttered to himself the entire time. Sasuke ignored him, heading straight to his dresser and tugging tiredly at his shirt. Feeling the irregularly soft material, he glanced down at himself and blinked in mild surprise. Sasuke was actually still in his sleepwear from the previous night. Despite his best efforts, a pale flush lit his cheeks. Even if no one had seen him all day except Naruto, running around for a day in his pajamas, dignified as they were in black cotton, was more than a little humiliating. Clearing his throat, he pulled out his sleepwear drawer and began to change.

A low whine from the foot of his bed caught Sasuke's attention just as he was settling a clean shirt over his head. He turned, absently tugging on the necklace's chain to pull it out from under his shirt. Red ears drooped pathetically, Kyuubi was gazing forlornly at the bed from his position on the floor. One paw lifted to weakly grip the comforter, but it soon fell away, followed by a low sigh. Sasuke frowned at him.

"What's the matter with you?" he questioned roughly. One ear twitched in his direction, and Kyuubi lowered his head.

Eventually, Sasuke heard a muttered, "…I can't get up."

The brunet blinked. "You can't get onto the bed?"

Kyuubi's shoulders hunched defensively, and the fox grudgingly shook his head. Sasuke's lips twitched, a smile threatening. Coughing, Sasuke walked over to the demon.

"Do you need help?" His voice wavered slightly on the last word, amusement coloring his tone. Kyuubi grumbled, ears pressing back against his head. Sasuke lost the battle with his lips, allowing a small grin to cross his face. "What was that?"

Kyuubi glared at him balefully, his eyes still pale blue with exhaustion. "'Said 'm too tired. I ca—" A yawn interrupted him. "Can't jumpup." 

Ruthlessly squashing the part of him that found Kyuubi absolutely adorable—which was probably the same part that had always wanted a dog—Sasuke quickly moved forward, scooped the fox up, and deposited him on the bed. He folded his arms and gazed down at him, lifting an eyebrow. "Happy now?"

"Mm." Kyuubi curled up immediately, burrowing his face in his tails. Within seconds, a soft snore emanated from the giant clump of fur. Sasuke shook his head.

"If the trip took that much out of you, you should have said something," the brunet admonished quietly. When no reply came, he returned to the dresser, pulled out a fresh pair of pants, and changed quickly. A sharp flick of the nearby switch plunged the room into darkness. Sighing, Sasuke rounded the bed and climbed in, careful not to jostle the sleeping demon. To his surprise, Kyuubi didn't even twitch at the bed's movement, and his ever-moving tails were still. Eyes drooping, Sasuke found himself watching the demon for a moment. From the very first night, Kyuubi had been burrowed against Sasuke whenever they slept, and for a brief second, Sasuke wondered if he'd be able to sleep without the fox next to him.

In the next instant, exhaustion answered his question for him, and his consciousness spiraled away into obscurity.

* * *

Unnoticed in the darkness, the blue crystal slid off the Uchiha heir's chest as the man shifted onto his side. The crystal hit the soft mattress, inches away from the young man's arm. Seconds later, it began to glow a deep, violent red, chakra spilling off it in tiny, unnoticeable waves. 

At the foot of the bed, Kyuubi twitched, his breathing growing shallow and rapid. The golden band about the base of his center tail tightened painfully. He whimpered.

In the window, the moon hung low and full, bathing the bedroom in light and shadow.

* * *

_Long, dark hallways taunted him, leading him everywhere but where he wanted to be. Leading anywhere but to freedom. His breath rasped in the unnaturally silent halls, and he was running, running desperately. He needed to escape. It had all been a lie. Orochimaru didn't want to make him stronger, of course he didn't. He wanted his eyes. The snake bastard wanted his eyes, and he was going to take them from him, and Sasuke couldn't allow that, so he was running, running…_

And with a gasp, Sasuke woke. He stared blindly out the window, resting on his left side on an arm that was starting to go numb. Letting out a low breath, he lifted his right arm and ran a hand through his hair, shifting onto his back. The glowing necklace he had yet to notice landed on his chest.

Chakra screamed through him, digging into his mind with stunning force. Sasuke opened his mouth to cry out, but before he could make a sound, his mind clouded over and he felt himself being whisked away. A spinning world of red surrounded him, voices and ghostly hands reaching out to touch him as he passed. Naruto's blue crystal hovered in front of him, burning its way through the strange world.

Sasuke came to a hasty stop, dropping heavily onto a tatami floor. He scrambled to his feet and looked around, one hand rising instinctively to clasp the crystal hanging from his neck. Sasuke was standing in a small enclosed room, one with only a tiny window towards the ceiling to let in the least possible air and light. Instead of the normal paper sliding doors, this room was guarded by a heavy wooden door and a thick metal lock. 

And in the center, his arms tied behind him with a length of rope, sat Naruto with a vicious scowl on his face. His eyes burned red and his cheeks were flushed with anger, shoulders hunched within a plain white yukata as he growled at the door. He hadn't seemed to notice Sasuke yet, caught up in his barely contained rage. Sasuke's grip on the crystal tightened involuntarily.

_Where are we? Are we back at the main house from the past?_ Sasuke cautiously moved towards the blond man, eyes flipping automatically into Sharingan._ How could we get back here? Naruto was too tired to jump onto my bed, let alone time travel!_

Sasuke had barely completed that thought when he noticed something wrong with his eyes. The Sharingan wasn't activating. A bead of sweat slid down his temple as he tried again, but his vision remained unchanged.

_What the hell is going on?_ Attempting to calm himself, Sasuke reached out with his free hand to touch Naruto's shoulder. Before he could make contact, Sasuke's hand turned translucent.

His hand passed right through Naruto's shoulder.

The blond didn't seem to notice.

Thoroughly disturbed, Sasuke pulled away and stared incredulously at his hand. After a moment, it regained its normal color. Sasuke's breath sped up, and he clenched his jaw firmly. In his fist, the crystal burned so brightly that red light spilled out between his fingers.

_Alright. Calm the fuck down,_ Sasuke told himself, taking a few deep breaths._ Naruto's crystal is doing something weird, but chances are good that whatever this is, it isn't real. _His breathing slowed, courtesy of having been in several strange positions before in his work as a ninja, but his heart continued to race in alarm. His entire body was screaming at him, telling him that nothing was as it should be and that he should _get the fuck out of there_.

He couldn't calm down.

Palms damp, the Uchiha heir tried his normal tricks for maintaining control over his emotions: gritting his teeth for five seconds, releasing them, and gritting for another five seconds; pressing his fingers rhythmically into his sweating palms; and stretching out his toes so that they tapped, one by one, on the floor. Any one of those methods, in the past, would allow him to focus on something other than his emotions for a moment and regain his equilibrium.

None of them worked.

It was as though Sasuke was present without his body being fully attached to his mind. Like he was—

Sasuke inhaled sharply through his nose, eyes widening.

_Like I'm dreaming. It's like I'm dreaming, but it's not my dream._ The scent of the tatami mats, the sounds outside the room, all of the sensory output he should be receiving aside from sight…were missing. That was why his body was panicking. He couldn't tell where he was, because he wasn't really there. Swallowing with difficulty, Sasuke reached up with his free hand and swiped sweat from his brow. His fingers trembled.

If he were right, then after all of his fussing about the fox demon peeking into his own head, he was about to find out what it was like inside Naruto's when the demon was unaware. 

_Fire everywhere, a deep, menacing voice that shook him to his core, and blood red eyes waiting to consume him. Pain. So much pain._

Sasuke shuddered, trying to shake away the memory of his last, unfortunate foray into the demon's head. A wave of nausea rose within him, but he fought it back determinedly, moving to crouch beside the blond man. Naruto, of course, ignored him. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke leaned close to the oblivious demon's ear.

"Naruto. Can you hear me?" he whispered. The blond's ear twitched imperceptibly. Encouraged, Sasuke moved closer and began to try again.

Unexpectedly, the iron lock turned with a loud _clang_, and the heavy door swung open. Madara Uchiha, several years older than the version Sasuke had "met," stepped into the room, eyeing Naruto with a mix of distaste and smug, dark pleasure. Deliberately silent, Madara closed the door behind him and fixed Naruto with an unflinching stare. The lock turned audibly again, ostensibly operated from someone outside. They had been sealed in.

"Creature," Madara acknowledged in a low, mocking tone. Lips twisting upward, the man drew closer to Naruto. "Have you learned your lesson?"

Naruto spat on the floor, arms tensing as they strained at the rope bindings. "Fuck you."

"I see you haven't," Madara replied conversationally. His Sharingan-lit eyes swept appraisingly over Naruto's body, and he shook his head in a parody of wistfulness. "Still so _defiant_."

Naruto's legs rasped over the dry tatami mats as the demon pulled them in towards himself. He snarled at his master, ducking his head and hunching his shoulders. "Better defiant than _sick_, you bastard," he shot back.

Madara's eyes narrowed sharply, false amusement fleeing in the face of his ire. Within moments, the dark expression was gone, replaced by cool consideration. He moved closer, crouching down before Naruto and gazing at him intensely. Naruto gave a low growl, leaning backwards.

"Such a pretty face," Madara commented idly, his voice bland. A small, disturbing smile grew on his pale cheeks, and he reached out to stroke a hand leisurely across the blond's cheek. With a disgusted noise, Naruto swung his head away.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Naruto spat, eyes shielded by his unruly blond hair. "Or I'll make sure you lose them."

Madara chuckled softly, the dark sound echoing in an unnaturally quiet room. "Petty threats from a petty creature. You never cease to entertain me." Without warning, Madara's eyes darkened, and the man reached out to fist his hand in Naruto's hair. He leaned forward until their noses were centimeters apart, fingers tightening until Naruto's head was forced back. A pink tongue darted out to wet cruelly smirking lips. "Though you know that your defiance, as pathetic as it is, only makes me want to crush your spirit. It makes me wonder what it will take…"

Madara lifted his free hand, trailing a finger down Naruto's throat. The demon's growl grew louder, but he didn't fight back. Madara smiled.

"What will it take to break you, oh mighty demon?" he continued, his low voice slithering across Sasuke's ears like crushed velvet. "You were so…obedient towards the end of Grandfather's life. I wonder, what did he do to make you submit to him? What will I have to do? What will I have to take from you, to make you follow me as blindly as you did him?"

Sasuke stared at his ancestor in horror, watching as the man leaned forward to swipe his tongue across Naruto's cheek. The demon shuddered in revulsion, twisting sharply in Madara's grasp. Chuckling, Madara moved to lick him again.

In a burst of red chakra, Madara was flung across the room, hitting the door with a painful _thud_. Naruto hissed in pain, doubling over as his enslavement ring visibly burned against his skin. Through the curtain of his blond hair, he hissed, "If you think I'll let you try out your twisted perversions on me, Madara, you're mad. Consequences or no, I will _kill_ you if you lay a hand on me."

Venom dripped from every harsh word, filling the room with remembered hatred. The barely contained fury—along with a healthy dose of fear and helplessness—rose up, pounding the walls in wave after crashing wave and warping the very air. Gasping, Sasuke found himself on his knees behind the demon, fighting the sensation of drowning in Naruto's emotions. His throat closed involuntarily, tightening as though surrounded by a merciless, bloodthirsty grip. He clawed desperately at his neck with trembling fingers.

_Can't breathe, I can't…_

Vision blurring, Sasuke watched in pain as Madara carefully picked himself up, baring his teeth at Naruto in a mockery of a smile. "Will you? Don't pretend to courage you don't have, monster." He laughed harshly. "You will bow before my will, and do as you are told. Just as you always do."

Naruto's lips turned up in a wry smirk. "Everyone has a breaking point. You don't even realize what you're dealing with, Madara." He lifted his head, red eyes burning into Madara's. "Eventually, I'll get the better of you. If, of course, your family doesn't beat me to it."

Madara's eyes flashed, and his lips twisted down into a scowl. "Watch your tongue, creature," he hissed. "The family already knows not to cross me, and for reasons you would do well to remember."

Naruto laughed in reply, a short bark of air that held no humor. "You're a fool. Do you really think they'll just keep following you like mindless sheep?" Naruto smiled grimly. "You think you're the first master of mine to try and beat the Uchiha family into submission? Don't make me laugh. They'll most likely kill you, and I'll have one less problem to deal with."

In a flash, Madara was in front of Naruto again, eyes glowing with rage.

"Don't speak such _filth_ to me!" He backhanded Naruto, forcing the demon's head to snap to the side. "They will give me the respect I deserve, and _you—_" He slapped him again, then hit him with a closed fist. "_You_ will worship the ground I walk on, you pathetic, filthy vermin!"

Both men were breathing hard, filling the thick air with murderous tension. The invisible hand about Sasuke's throat tightened further, and he found himself bracing his hands on the tatami floor as he struggled to breathe. The men's hatred coursed through his body, amplified by the swinging necklace that dangled in front of him. Its red light shone like a beacon.

"If they respect you so much…" Naruto replied quietly. With a low chuckle, He lifted his head defiantly and smirked with bloodied lips.

"Then why are you locked in here with me, Madara-_sama_?"

The man in question froze, Sharingan spinning crazily in his eyes. Hissing in a sharp breath, he flung his right hand towards Naruto and spoke several words in quick succession. Naruto's smirk dropped off his lips, replaced by a howl of pain. The skin on his neck and face began to shudder and stretch, tearing in bloody gashes. Madara watched for a moment, then gave a sinister laugh.

"You'll pay for your disrespect, demon," he stated in a smug, hate-filled voice. "You'll learn. By the time I'm done with you, you'll learn." He folded his arms over his chest, and his eyes grew distant. "You all will."

Naruto was writhing on the ground in pain, smearing blood all over the tatami mats. Through gritted, bloody teeth, he managed to grind out, "F-Fuck you! F-fuck you, y-your anc-cestors, and all your d-descendants, too!"

Smirking, Madara bent down and ran a finger along Naruto's cheek. The flesh parted as he touched it, eliciting further screams from the fox demon. Madara smiled, lifted his bloodied finger, and licked it clean. His eyes glinted.

"Yes, you will, creature. You will."

As Naruto's screams tore through the air, the senseless pressure around Sasuke's throat abruptly eased, and the young man gulped in air. Without thought, he clambered to Naruto's side and bent down to scream into his ear.

"Naruto!! Naruto, wake up! It's a dream!" Another hand motion from Madara had Naruto arching his back, a scream catching in his throat. Panicking, Sasuke tried vainly to grab Naruto's shoulders and shake the demon, but his hands continued to pass through him. "Wake up!!"

In a strange sort of sixth-sense, Sasuke could feel the covers of his bed sliding against his skin as his body struggled, and a warm spot at his feet—most likely Kyuubi—twisted violently. The real world overlapped the dream world he was trapped in, resonating with a faint hum from the vibrating crystal on his chest. Sweat streaming down his face, he screamed at the senseless blond.

"NARUTO!! Can you hear me?? Naruto, _you idiot_, WAKE UP!"

The blond's eyes snapped open.

The crystal faded to blue.

The world went black.

* * *

Kyuubi startled awake, fur standing on end. His breathing came fast and harsh in the darkened room, and for one terrifying moment, he had no idea where he was. He leapt to his feet with difficulty, tails swirling and teeth bared, ready to fight.

_Madara, he…he…!_

"Naruto!!" 

A burst of sound and movement above him scared the crap out of Kyuubi, making him leap into the air and spin about, lashing out with his claws. He heard a sharp ripping sound and froze, heart speeding wildly in his chest. A crazed growl poured from his throat.

Sasuke stared at him, eyes wide and hair wild, his chest heaving as he sat up and clutched the comforter in his fists. The scents of fear and anxiety poured off him in waves, taunting Kyuubi's frazzled nerves. He could practically smell the blood coursing furiously through the Uchiha heir's veins, and if he tried anything, Kyuubi could spill it all over the fucking _sheets_, and…

And…

Blinking, Kyuubi felt his panic and rage abruptly subside, and he found himself staring dumbly at his master. Sasuke. Not Madara. Sasuke. The one who'd sworn he wasn't going to hurt Naruto, that he wanted the fox demon as a partner instead of a slave. _Sasuke_.

The one he'd nearly torn the throat out of a second ago.

Legs trembling violently, Kyuubi lay down on the slashed comforter and placed his head upon his front paws. He closed his eyes.

_God. Seeing that bastard again today… I'd hoped to never lay eyes on him again. The things he made me do…_ His stomach churned unpleasantly, bombarded with memories of people screaming as his magic choked the life out of them. He could still see their faces, each and every one. Madara had been so fucking bloodthirsty, and he hadn't cared who got in his way. Even his own _family_…

Sasuke made a sudden movement, startling Kyuubi back into alarm mode. The fur on his tails puffed up instinctively. Sasuke glared down at him furiously.

"Naruto, what the _fuck_ was that just now??" he snarled. The scent of fear spiked, mingling with anger. Kyuubi's breath grew ragged, his nose telling him to either lash out or back away, anything to ease this tension. Sasuke continued, "Do you realize I was _there?_ In your fucking dream just now? What the hell is going on?"

"I…" Kyuubi had to clear his throat before he could continue. "What are you talking about?"

Sasuke slammed a fist into the bed. "I was there! Your damn necklace pulled me headfirst into your dream, and I had to watch what Madara did to you. Why didn't you tell me that would happen?? Fuck!"

_Oh. Well now, isn't that thoroughly humiliating._ Kyuubi shut his eyes in shame and anger. _Now he's seen how weak I am, the so-called "greatest demon alive." Fuck._

It was bad enough to have lived through it once, and to have relived it a million times since, but having _Sasuke_ see it made Kyuubi want to curl in on himself. Now Sasuke had seen him helpless, at the mercy of a sadistic fucktard who'd managed to ruin so many lives, and Kyuubi hadn't been able to do _anything_ to stop him.

Kyuubi ground his teeth, fighting his instinctive reactions to Sasuke's distress. Smelling that much fear around the scent of an Uchiha, especially on the heels of the memory he'd just relived, was enough to make his blood _boil_.

"Sasuke, I've never had anyone wear my necklace before," he stated in as patient a tone as he could manage. "I don't know how it pulled you into my dream, but I'm fairly sure I didn't give it to you with the intention of _making my head a fun house_." He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to reign in the sudden spike of temper. "So I'd really appreciate it if you, you know, stopped trying to make EVERYTHING my fucking fault!"

Sasuke exhaled sharply, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. "So are you telling me that you don't even know what this thing can do?" he questioned incredulously. "How do you know it will even work against that ring of yours? Dammit, Naruto, what the hell did you get us into?"

Kyuubi couldn't help it, he growled. He was tired, so sick and tired of taking the blame for things he couldn't control. "First off, I didn't get us into anything. If you weren't so damn _different_ from everyone and everything I've dealt with before, maybe this wouldn't be happening!" His legs practically vibrated with energy, so he began to pace along the foot of the bed. "You want to know how I granted that wish of yours when you didn't even say it aloud? Well,_ so do I!_ You want to know how my necklace dragged you into my head while I was dreaming? _SO DO I!_ I don't fucking know, Sasuke! Every day with you is new fucking ground for me, and I've been doing this job a real long fucking time."

Kyuubi's trembling knees suddenly buckled, weighed down with anxiety, an adrenaline crash, and magical exhaustion. He sat down heavily, tails swirling behind him. Shoulders shaking, he took a deep breath.

"That necklace…" The fox trailed off, unsure of how to explain himself. How could he put into words the soul-deep connection he'd felt when he first laid eyes on the small blue crystal? How could he explain the rush he'd felt when he first slipped the chain over his head, like he'd gained a piece of himself that had been lost? He and the crystal resonated with each other; they were parts of the same whole. He couldn't possibly expect Sasuke to understand that.

After a long, tense pause, he continued, "I'm…connected to it. I can feel it even when I'm not wearing it, and I know it can…feel me, in return. When you asked to feel my pain, I knew that the crystal could make that possible."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Just like that? You just 'knew'?"

The fox shrugged awkwardly. "It sounds strange, but it's true. I just…knew it could do it."

"Hn." The Uchiha heir fell silent, pale fingers sliding up to warily toy with the silver chain. He frowned at the pale crystal, and slowly began to lean back against the pillows. Kyuubi watched him, a strange feeling growing with his chest. The fox demon had always been reluctant to even show the crystal to anyone, feeling it too personal to share, and yet with barely a second thought, he'd given it away to Sasuke. Eyes narrowed, he stared at the puzzling young man.

_What IS it about him that makes him so damn different from everyone else?_

With a sigh, Kyuubi settled himself on the torn comforter. Occasionally, a small tremor shot through him. His ring still twinged painfully. He'd feel better if he could lie next to Sasuke and transfer chakra like he'd been doing every night, but with the two of them being so emotionally stressed, he didn't think it wise. Kyuubi would rather wait out the night awake, glaring at the moon, than risk having Sasuke backhand him right off the bed.

"The ring is hurting you, isn't it?" Sasuke suddenly asked, his voice hushed. His onyx eyes remained on the crystal, which had begun to glow a faint pink. When Kyuubi looked at him questioningly, the boy seemed to sense it, and Sasuke glanced up with an unreadable expression. "You were right. I can feel it."

In a strange way, Kyuubi could tell. There was a tiny, phantom pain in his chest that had nothing to do with anything else that was happening. Uncomfortable, Kyuubi shrugged and turned away.

"…What do I have to do?"

The quietly voiced question startled the fox demon. His ears twitched as he turned back to face the brunet, but Sasuke wasn't looking at him anymore. The boy seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, a faint frown pulling at his pretty lips. Kyuubi tilted his head to the side.

"Well," he replied reluctantly, "a chakra exchange usually soothes it, but…"

Sasuke's eyes swung to meet his. "Is that why you cuddle with me every night?"

When he put it that way, it was a little embarrassing. Kyuubi's ears turned back, and the fox glowered. "…Maybe."

The Uchiha heir sighed listlessly. "Then come here. I don't think either of us can handle another trip down memory lane from you." He tugged the covers down and patted the mattress beside him. "Come on."

After a moment's hesitation, Kyuubi complied, rising to his feet. His legs shook uncontrollably. With some difficulty, he forced them to work, climbing carefully over Sasuke's legs until he stood beside the young man's chest. Sasuke silently shifted to the side, and Kyuubi obligingly curled up beside him. The brunet awkwardly tucked the sheets around him, causing the fox to smirk weakly.

"What's with this? You're going to mother me now?" he teased feebly. Sasuke glared at him, but his heart clearly wasn't in it. Ill-hidden storm clouds of worry filled his dark eyes, a fact that, frankly, amazed the fox demon. Words were one thing, but actually seeing a hardass like Sasuke worry over him…

It felt surprisingly…_good_.

Sasuke carefully settled down next to him, watching him with a curious expression on his face. One hand lifted to scratch gently behind Kyuubi's ear, and as always, the fox melted. It felt so heavenly, like someone was massaging his chakra and feeding him ambrosia—or better yet, ramen—on top of it. Sighing, he leaned against Sasuke's side. Their chakra began to transfer between them, soothing Kyuubi's still throbbing ring. Kyuubi felt his tightly wound muscles begin to relax.

"Naruto, are you…" He hesitated, running his fingers over the base of Kyuubi's skull and pulling them away. "Are you alright?"

The stiffly asked question made Kyuubi's lips twitch up into a tiny smile. Without replying, he pressed closer to Sasuke's side. One tail flipped up to curl loosely—and maybe a little possessively—around Sasuke's waist. The young man relaxed, settling a hand upon Kyuubi's middle and stroking it idly with his thumb. His breath tickled the tips of Kyuubi's ears. Their chakra continued to flow back and forth, replenishing Kyuubi's depleted strength.

In the wake of Sasuke's awkward (but appreciated) comforting, the pair fell asleep. Neither noticed the heavy moon being quickly obscured by thick, dark storm clouds.

Shielded from the pale light, their room plunged into darkness.

* * *

Covering his movements with a convenient rumble of thunder, the man alit upon the tiled roof of the remodeled Uchiha main house. Wind carrying the scent of the sea swirled around him, nuzzling him like a dog begging for play. He lifted a hand, batting the winds away, and grinned.

_So, the Uchiha boy has really taken to Kyuubi no Kitsune, has he? Remarkable!_ Rubbing his hands with glee, he resisted the urge to peek into the boys' window. _Just think about how much mischief those two can cause if they're working together!_

The man laughed delightedly, reaching up to tug on his thin beard. The Uchiha family had always been something of a bore, with the possible exception of that madman, Madara, but this latest generation was intriguing beyond belief. A younger brother and an older brother, both driven mad with grief and despair, and yet both—_both!_—capable of surviving the release of the most powerful creature to walk the Earth! That boy, Uchiha Itachi, had been close enough at the time of release to have been killed by the backlash of Kyuubi's power. When Uchiha Sasuke was Chosen, Uchiha Itachi should have died. Either that, or if neither had been Chosen, both should have perished. And yet, both lived! Remarkable!

The bearded man had done his part, convincing that ridiculous group of cloak-wearing assassins to release the Kyuubi. Life had been too boring without that demon walking around—rather, life had become spectacularly dull the moment the poor creature had lost his war and gotten enslaved. He'd expected something…more. 

But now, with four of the nine great demons released (under his less than subtle pressuring), and with such interesting masters controlling them, he suspected great and entertaining times ahead of them all. Of course, the man who enslaved them would be upset, but then, he tended to be upset most of the time. Everyone had simply learned to live with it.

If the demons were freed…

The man grinned at the thought, twirling his fingers in the wiry hairs at his chin. He already had Uchiha Itachi running his personal errands, keeping him close to the Kyuubi. As a man of Chaos, he desperately wanted to see what would happen when the brothers, and their seemingly equal claims to the fox demon, clashed. He could hardly wait! Soon, the fun times of old would be upon them, just as they were before humans had to grow so stuffy and stolid.

And if he happened to nudge things along a bit, no one would be the wiser.

Laughing heartily, the man leapt from the roof and rose into the swirling clouds. 

And with a clap of thunder, the god of the storms and seas was gone.

* * *

A single lamp burned beside him as the Kazekage sat at his desk, deeply contemplative. A frown marred his ill-controlled expression, and his bejeweled fingers tapped his desk impatiently.

Several days had passed, and Sound had yet to make a move on Konoha. If he declared war without some sort of catalyst, he'd be breaking several treaties at once, _and_ he'd make his true allies extremely nervous. He didn't want to seem like a hothead, but Konoha had resources that Sand desperately needed, and if he could conquer Konoha, he could take what he needed without resorting to trade agreements. And with the one-tailed monster Shukaku on his side, how could he pass up the chance to take what he desired?

Scowling, the Kazekage thumped his fist on his desk. There had to be some way to invade Konoha without taking the blame for it. The demon wouldn't help him willingly, but perhaps…

An idea rushed into the Kazekage's head so quickly that he could practically see the dust it kicked up. Enlightened, he picked up a blank scroll and began writing hastily. When he finished, he took out two pieces of parchment and wrote short notes on them, as well. He stood, carrying the latter to a black messenger bird that sat on a small perch by the window. With a few quick ties, curt instructions, and an opened window, the bird was off to inform the right people. The Kazekage smiled briefly, then turned, striding back to his desk. 

He snatched up the scroll, held it close to his chest, and bellowed, "Gaara!!"

There was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of sand trickling under his shut door. Within moments, the sand formed a shape and hardened. The demon glared at him, folding his arms over his chest. The Kazekage ignored the brief spike of fear that always hit him when the psychotic creature was around and stepped forward, brandishing the scroll triumphantly.

"I want you to send this to the Hokage in Konoha. It needs to get there by tomorrow morning. Can you do it?" he asked in as authoritative a tone as he could manage. The demon looked at the scroll disdainfully, causing the Kazekage to shake it with impatience. "Well?"

Without a word being spoken, sand poured out of the strange gourd on the creature's back, pooling at the Kazekage's feet. Within moments, it had hardened into what looked like an eagle. The bird glanced at the Kazekage with chilling golden eyes, screamed, and flew up in front of him, snatching the scroll out of his hands as he hurriedly stepped back. Before the Kazekage could bark out an order, the eagle had swept out of the still open window and disappeared into the night.

Disquieted, the Kazekage eyed the dispassionate demon before him. Gaara stared back, his murderous gaze chilling the Kazekage's heart. The man stepped back, waving a hand imperiously.

"You've done your duty, Gaara. You may go."

Before he'd finished speaking, the demon dissolved into sand once more and retreated out the door. The Kazekage released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. A smug smile settled upon his cheeks.

By morning, he'd have everything he wanted.

Konoha would be his.

* * *

The next day

* * *

The early morning light burned Tsunade's honey-colored eyes, mercilessly hunting down the remnants of the sake she'd drunk the night before and torturing them. Groaning, she pulled her covers up over her head. 

"No more. I swear. No more…" she moaned pathetically. The light that had already snuck in did a victory dance in her head, tossing her remaining brain cells into a bonfire and stomping to the beat of very, very loud drums. Some might call it a headache. Tsunade knew better.

No headache was ever that sadistic.

While Tsunade wallowed in misery, the fates decided to piss on her head again. Something evil, sadistic, and about to die was tapping—LOUDLY—on her window. The blonde woman snarled, throwing off her covers and staggering to her feet. She stormed over to the window, where a golden eagle was resting, a scroll clutched in its talons. When she glared at it through the window and a pair of bloodshot eyes, the bird glared right back. Grudgingly, she opened the window.

The eagle let out an ear-piercing scream and swooped into the room, depositing the scroll on the small, ill-used desk in the corner. Before Tsunade could respond—catch it, pluck it, and roast it while cackling evilly—the bird collapsed into a pool of sand and blew out of the window with a dramatic flair. Tsunade paused.

_Well. That was unusual. _Lips pursed, she crossed to her desk and picked up the scroll. The Kazekage's seal gleamed in the wretched morning light. Frowning, Tsunade broke the seal and unrolled the scroll, perusing it quickly.

Her headache doubled in intensity.

_Dear Tsunade-Hokage-sama. I do hope my missive finds you well. _

"Yeah, if 'well' means me at the bottom of a ditch somewhere, you lying bastard," she murmured.

_I find myself in need of enlisting one of your ninjas for a minor artifact-retrieval mission. My ninjas have tried to retrieve the artifact to no avail. In the spirit of faith and goodwill, I solicit Konoha's assistance. The ninja in question would, of course, be compensated adequately. This mission is, of course, of some urgency. Surely Konoha, despite the rumors of growing tensions abroad, would be able to spare someone to help in this matter. Sand would be very grateful._

_Unfortunately, I fear that I must make a specific request. Uchiha Sasuke, Jounin Class, has the particular talents that my team is lacking, and I am afraid that no one else will do. I am sure that Uchiha Sasuke, despite his many trials and tribulations, will be more than capable of assisting us._

_I await your response._

_Tanaka Masahiko, 4__th__ Kazekage of Sunagakure _

"Well, damn. That bastard." Tsunade rolled the scroll again, frowning contemplatively. As with all of the Kazekage's recent letters, this one held several veiled threats and accusations. Basically, if Tsunade didn't hand over Sasuke on a platter, Sand would take that as an affirmation of Sasuke's mental imbalance (and would spread the news everywhere, making it impossible to get the boy hired), Konoha's willingness to let the fragile peace between the villages disintegrate, and Konoha's precarious position with Sound. 

In other words, it was Uchiha Sasuke, or war.

One hand lifted to rub wearily at her forehead. Sand these days was full of backstabbers. Whatever they really wanted Sasuke for, it wouldn't be pretty. She sighed. For the sake of diplomacy, she had to send Sasuke on the mission. There was no other choice.

_Dammit. Why did I ever listen to Jiraiya and become the Hokage? I __**hate**__ politics. Just because the old fart didn't want to do it himself…_ Eyes still stinging, Tsunade pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and wrote a short note to the Uchiha boy. A messenger bird already sat stoically in the window, probably having seen the eagle before. She folded the note and handed it over.

"Take this to Uchiha Sasuke. Quickly." 

The bird bobbed its head once and flew off. Wearily, she crawled back into bed and tossed the covers back over her head. Blanketed in darkness, she grudgingly contemplated the odd Uchiha brat. She'd never fully trusted him once he'd decided to join Orochimaru after he was kidnapped, even though she'd reluctantly decided to give him a second chance. The council had been more eager than she was, since even a traitorous, possibly psychotic Uchiha was one hell of a commodity, and they didn't want to risk too much downtime by not peddling his wares to nearby villages. A paltry year of house-arrest, a slap on the wrist, and Sasuke was back to work. The whole business made Tsunade very uncomfortable, but true to his word, the boy hadn't tried to run off again.

And now Naruto…

Beneath the covers, Tsunade frowned. There was something…off about that boy. Something in the way he spoke, the way he moved. It was like he was constantly adjusting to the things he saw, like a foreigner in a strange new land. Granted, he came from another village, but… he was still odd. And it was an awfully strange coincidence that he happened to show up at the same time Sasuke's pet fox did. There was some connection between the two, she could feel it.

She just didn't know what it _was_.

Still, ever since that pair showed up, there'd been a remarkable change in Sasuke's attitude. The boy was still a prick, that was certain, and no one could get him to say hello without several kunai, quick jutsu, and a crowbar, but whenever he was around Naruto (pretty much constantly, from what she'd seen of the two) he seemed to lose a few of those hard edges. It was as though Sasuke had finally found someone he could relax around. For the sake of the boy's sanity, Tsunade approved whole-heartedly.

The Hokage caught herself smiling a little at the thought of the obnoxious blond boy. Despite his quirks, there was something about him that you had to like. Some sweet quality in his words and actions, no matter how imbecilic he was acting. Hell, if he'd managed to win over _Sasuke_, the boy was practically a god of social interactions. Even Tsunade had found herself melting around the idiot.

She couldn't help it any more than anyone else in the village. She liked him.

With that kind of charisma, Naruto could work wonders. He could make a real home for himself in Konoha.

And since she'd put money down that the brat was going to follow Sasuke wherever he went, Tsunade was about to have another problem on her hands.

Perfect.

Lips pursed, Tsunade snaked a hand out from under her covers and blindly set her alarm. She could afford another hour or so before she had to meet with the boys. And maybe if she prayed really hard, the meeting would go smoothly, Naruto would behave (and _not_ poke his nose in where it didn't belong, for once), and her headache wouldn't get worse.

Right. Even Tsunade wouldn't bet on that.

* * *

A light tapping sound drew Sasuke reluctantly out of his slumber. He burrowed deeper into his warm, soft pillow, inhaling its strange but soothing spicy, woodsy scent. Something warm and heavy was draped over his waist, sending waves of heat through him. Sasuke smiled sleepily.

And froze.

The Uchiha heir slowly peeled his eyes open, staring at the red mass in front of his eyes. He had his face buried in the back of Kyuubi's head, the two oversized ears brushing against his temples as they twitched. None of that was particularly unusual.

Kyuubi's _size_, however, was.

The fox he was spooning with was not his normal size of a tomcat, nor the size of a Doberman. He was the size of a wolf. A very large wolf. The waist that Sasuke's arm was flung over was larger than his own, the head he was nuzzling was larger than his own, and the tail that was curled about his waist practically swallowed it. Sasuke stared at him. Waking up with a small puppy substitute was one thing, but waking up curled around a demon whose jaws could bite his face off was quite another. 

Sasuke tried to edge backwards, but the tail around his waist tightened immediately. The Uchiha heir swallowed, growing more uncomfortable by the moment. Kyuubi had been rather upset the previous night after his nightmare. In light of that, he had to wonder exactly what kind of Kyuubi would wake up this morning: the kind who wanted to tease him, or the one who wanted to attack him last night.

Before Sasuke could figure out a way to slip out from under the restricting tail, Kyuubi began to stir. The fox yawned heavily, rolling partially onto his back and releasing the tail locked about the Uchiha heir's waist. Sasuke moved backwards quickly to avoid getting squashed, and he sat up, glowering down at the ridiculously large demon in his bed. When Kyuubi was small, he looked more or less like a strange fox, but when he was this size, the black lines around his eyes, the dark lips, his pointed muzzle and oversized claws combined to make him look…evil. The thought disturbed Sasuke, and the Uchiha heir reluctantly shook it off. Moments later, Kyuubi blinked his blue eyes open and gazed up at him, one paw scratching idly at his chest. 

"Sasuke?" He yawned again, baring two rows of impressively large, sharp teeth. "What time is it?"

Sasuke didn't bother to glance at his clock. "Early. Why the hell are you so big?"

"Huh?" Kyuubi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion he had no right to feel. "What are you talking about?"

Scowling, Sasuke shoved his hand in front of Kyuubi's face. The demon's eyes crossed as he looked at it down his muzzle. The hand and muzzle were about the same size.

"_That_ is what I'm talking about." He pulled his hand away, folding his arms over his chest. "Are you trying to make a point of some sort?"

To his credit, the fox actually looked confused. "Uh, no. I hadn't realized I'd, um, grown so much." His large red head tossed from side to side as he took in the now greatly diminished bed. "Huh. That's weird."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. "You didn't do it on purpose?"

Kyuubi gave him a sardonic look. "I was asleep, dipshit. Of course I didn't do it on purpose." He rolled to his feet with a grunt, dropping down to the floor and stretching. One of his tails nearly knocked Sasuke's bedside lamp off its table. "I'm just surprised. I don't usually grow during the night, as you know. If anything, I usually shrink."

"Why?" Curious despite himself, Sasuke also crawled out of bed. 

The fox watched him as Sasuke made his way to the bedroom door, following close on his heels. His nose nearly came up to Sasuke's navel. 

"Well…" He hesitated, tails swishing behind him. "The chakra exchange during the night usually boosts the part of my magic that I use to grant wishes, which is why my ring stops hurting. But your chakra isn't entering me willingly, so I spend chakra to keep the exchange going, and I shrink." When they reached the kitchen, Kyuubi shrugged his broad shoulders. "If you happen to be pissed at me, I don't get very much, and shrink more than normal."

Sasuke frowned, heading to the fridge and jerking the door open. "But you're a demon. Your chakra levels are infinitely higher than mine. Why should my chakra matter?"

"Blame the boss, not the messenger. It's one of the rules he came up with." Kyuubi sighed. "I can't even access most of my chakra without your say-so. Trust me, it sucks."

The brunet pulled out a carton of milk and a banana, shutting the door with his shoulder. He looked down at the fox, lips tightening.

"So, that means that if you're this big, it's because I…what? _Let_ you? I gave you enough chakra to swell you up to this size?"

Kyuubi snorted. "Honey, it would take more than you've got to do this. It's all about intent. You must have wanted me to get stronger. So I grew." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. "You really _do_ care about little ol' me!"

Sasuke glared at the demon, ignoring the small flash of embarrassment that rose in him. "Shut up." He set the milk on the table, already peeling the banana. "And figure out what you want for breakfast, because I'm not making it."

Moments later, a human Naruto, clad in an obnoxious orange and black jacket and black pants, was walking past him and opening cabinets. Without a word, he grabbed a box of cereal and passed it blindly to Sasuke, who took it bemusedly. Naruto continued to peruse the shelves, finally settling on a Styrofoam cup of instant ramen. The idiot grinned like he'd found stolen treasure.

Sasuke settled himself at the table, fixing his cereal while surreptitiously watching the blond man. Naruto hummed happily while he boiled water, clearly unaffected by the previous night's dream. Considering the day they'd had yesterday, Naruto's turnaround time was remarkable. Didn't anything faze him? He must have been terrified yesterday, wondering if Sasuke was finally going to turn on him, and meeting one of his most hated masters again on top of that… Sasuke shook his head. He didn't understand at all.

After several minutes of silence, he heard, "Say, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha heir grunted in reply.

"Are you going to let in that messenger bird, or should I?"

Sasuke froze for a moment, then glanced up. Naruto was looking at him, a suppressed grin ticking the corners of his mouth. He pointed towards the far window, where a harassed-looking bird was waiting with a note in its claws. Berating himself internally, Sasuke rose to his feet and moved to let the bird in. It flew up, practically threw the note in his face, and departed. Behind him, Naruto snickered.

"Didn't you hear the poor thing tapping all morning? It woke _me_ up, I dunno about you."

Sasuke shot a glare at him. It was the demon's fault that he'd been so distracted. Instead of replying, Sasuke tore open the note and scanned its contents. His lips thinned, and he glanced at Naruto with a serious glint in his eyes.

"Tsunade wants to see me. Hurry up and eat, so we can leave." He used a bit of chakra to send the small note up in flames. 

Naruto watched him curiously, stirring his noodles with a pair of chopsticks. "What does she want to see you for?"

Sasuke walked back to the table and leaned against it, folding his arms over his chest.

"I'm going on a mission."

Naruto's blond eyebrows furrowed immediately, and he paused in the act of lifting a clump of noodles to his mouth. "You're going on a mission?" He frowned worriedly, setting his ramen down on the table. "Will I be able to come?"

Sasuke hesitated. "I doubt it. You're not a Konoha ninja, and if you tagged along as Kyuubi, someone would notice that you aren't here."

"Sasuke, it's a mission. You could be gone for days. I _have_ to go with you." Unthinkingly, Naruto began to fiddle with his enslavement ring. "The longer you're gone, the more my ring will strip chakra from me. By the time you get back…" He twisted the ring sharply. "There might not be anything left."

The thought made something indefinable tighten in Sasuke's chest. The brunet lifted a hand to his lips, frowning thoughtfully. After a moment, he lifted his head.

"Here's what we'll do..."

* * *

Tsunade watched the two men enter her office, already wishing she had a cup of sake in her hand. Sighing, she leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her desk.

"Naruto, I'm sorry," she began, "but you can't sit in on this meeting."

The blond brat looked surprised. "I can't? Why not?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to reply, but a sudden flash of warmth distracted her. She frowned in confusion. The brat was right. Why _wouldn't_ he be able to sit in on the meeting? The two were cousins, after all. A faint voice in the back of her mind whispered something about codes and protocols, but she shrugged it off. She looked down at the sheets on her desk, shook her head, and glanced up again, spearing Sasuke with a sharp gaze.

"Alright, Sasuke, this is the deal. Sand wants you for a class B mission. They claim that they want you to help them retrieve some artifact they've been having trouble with."

The Uchiha heir's face was stoic, the quintessential cool professional. Naruto, however, leaned forward with obvious interest.

"But? There's a catch, right?" the blond asked eagerly. Tsunade sighed.

"I have reason to believe that Sand will try something while Sasuke's there. They're looking for any excuse to wear down diplomatic relations, and they might try to pin something on Sasuke." She blew out a frustrated breath, running a hand through her hair. "But if we don't accept the mission, they'll use that as an excuse, instead. As a show of good faith, Sasuke needs to go."

"Why me?" Sasuke suddenly questioned, his onyx eyes narrowing. "Was I specifically requested?"

Tsunade nodded slowly. "Yes, you were. They seem to think they need the Sharingan to get the artifact. They didn't say why."

Naruto suddenly clapped his hands together, making Tsunade wince. Her headache grew. 

"So this means we get to leave Konoha? We're going to Sand? Right now?"

Sasuke seemed to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes at the blond's enthusiasm. "Did they say whether or not I could bring a teammate?"

Tsunade looked back and forth between Naruto, who looked like he'd jump out of his skin in a moment, and Sasuke, who looked faintly resigned. She started to shake her head.

"Unless Naruto is a Konoha ninja, he can't accompany you. He'll have to stay here."

Tsunade could have sworn she heard a muted _zap_ seconds before Naruto produced a manila folder. The blond brat waved it in her face, to her extreme annoyance.

"But I _am_ a ninja. Can't you just give me honorary status or something?" he whined. 

Scowling, she swiped the folder out of his hands and opened it. A picture of a younger Naruto glared up at her, along with several registration documents. She stared at the picture, then at the young man in front of her.

"Why the hell did you cover yourself in red paint?"

A muscle in the Uchiha heir's jaw jumped. Naruto beamed at her, oblivious. "Isn't it cool? It's like something out of Kabuki!"

Tsunade sighed. "While this is all very well and good, I still can't—" Another flash of warmth cut her off. She scowled, tugging surreptitiously at her collar. _What's with these hot flashes, lately? First I had one outside the O.R. when I let the brat go home, and now all this! It'd better not be menopause, or Jiraiya will never let me live it down._ "I, um."

A quiet voice whispered in her head. _If Sasuke has someone with him, maybe he'll keep his head about him when Sand pulls whatever stunt they're planning. The brat can be trusted. He couldn't lie his way out of a paper bag, much less deceive the Hokage. Let him go with Sasuke._

She struggled with herself for another moment, but she gave in with a sigh. Her forehead began to pound. "Since this is a B-level mission, and Naruto seems to have been at Jounin rank in his own little village, I suppose I can give Naruto clearance. It'll be trial basis _only_, with the _possibility_ that he'll officially join Konoha's ranks upon review of your mission."

Despite her obviously pointed remarks, Naruto leapt out of his chair with a _whoop_ and threw a fist into the air. "Yes! We are so outta here! We'll take the mission!"

"Don't make decisions for me, usuratonkachi," Sasuke snapped. He was ignored.

Despite her headache, Tsunade smiled. "I'll expect you two to pack up and head out as soon as possible. It should take you a few days to get to Sand, and the bas—the Kazekage was very insistent."

Sasuke briefly closed his eyes in reluctance and stood, nodding sharply. "We'll leave today."

"We're going on a miiiiission! We're going on a miiiision!" Naruto sang, literally bouncing from foot to foot. "Woohoo!"

Tsunade closed her eyes. _This was a bad decision._ "Report directly to the Kazekage's office when you arrive, he'll have more information for you—Naruto, SHUT UP!"

She flung an empty bottle at the blond boy's head. Naruto dodged, stuck his tongue out, and continued to dance, rolling his fists and stomping his feet.

"Goin' on a mission, yeah. We're going on a mi—ow!" Naruto swatted ineffectually at the hand Sasuke was now using to twist his ear. He started to whine, stumbling closer to the irritated Uchiha heir. "Sasuke! Let go!"

Sasuke ignored him, watching Tsunade as though Naruto weren't even in the room. "I'll make sure we go straight there."

Tsunade nodded sharply. "Watch your back." Her lips trembled as she glanced at Naruto, who was still struggling. "And try to watch his."

Sasuke gave her a small bow of the head in acknowledgement, then headed for the door, dragging a protesting Naruto behind him.

"But _Sasuke!_ I haven't gone on a trip in so long, so yeah I'm excited, now will you _let go of my damn ear?!_ Ow! _Sasuke!_"

Tsunade shook her head as the door shut. Something niggled at the back of her mind, but with another supremely irritating hot flash, it vanished. She sighed, opening the bottom drawer of her desk and pulling out a sake bottle stored for emergencies. She took a swig, forsaking the cup for the moment.

_Gods help them both._

* * *

**A/N Again:**** Yay! Big Kyuubi! :) And just so you know, the name Tanaka Masahiko is actually the name of the 4th Kazekage's voice actor. I just lifted it. And fyi, the "man with the beard" is technically not an OC. Just remember that I'd planned all this over a year ago. Since I'm not reading the manga anymore, all similarities are, believe it or not, coincidental past the saving Gaara arc.**

* * *


	12. Skip: April Fool's Joke

SKIP AHEAD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER

* * *

This chapter was originally an April Fool's prank chapter filled with all the stuff I can't stand in fanfiction: graphic misspellings, horrible grammar, scripts, l33t, strange pairings, and absence of plot. You can find it in my story list. Thanks to all the people who left me still alive after posting that! (And sorry to the people who were rightfully PO'd.)

Chapter 13 is now Chapter 12.

* * *

(Note: I'm still working on it right now, but as soon as my tests are over, I'll get on top of it. I'm excited about posting it, and I hope you guys will enjoy it.)


	13. Legends

**Author's note: **Long story short, I finally killed my antimuse. I'm already planning out the next chapter, so that I can get working on it as soon as possible. I'm really, really sorry that I kept everyone waiting yet again, and I hope that those of you who remember me will forgive me. It's been a difficult year, but things are finally, finally turning around. I graduated (with high honors!), I'm applying to grad school scholarships, and it looks like my life is finally getting back on track. So it's a little easier to find time to write!

At least the chapter is a long one, after such a ridiculously long wait... ^_^;; But as I said, this story WILL NOT be abandoned. No matter how long it takes to finish it!

But since it's been ages, I'll give you all a short recap:

21-year-old Sasuke was tricked by his older brother into releasing Kyuubi, a powerful fox demon who'd been mysteriously enslaved and handled by the Uchiha family. For the last 150 years, Kyuubi had been sealed away in his shrine underneath the main house of the Uchiha family, forgotten and alone. In the time since Sasuke released him, their adversarial relationship has eased into a tentative partnership. However, in that time, the Kazekage has used Gaara, who fought beside Kyuubi and was enslaved as well, to force Sound to attack Konoha. Now, he is using that attack as an excuse (by claiming that Konoha's relationship with neighboring nations is failing, and their alliance should be revisited) to pull Sasuke, notorious for being a previously unstable missing ninja, into Sand for a "good faith" mission. Konoha is worried about war breaking out on two fronts, but because they were backed into a corner, the Hokage, Tsunade, agreed to let Sasuke go. Naruto used his powers to con her into letting him accompany Sasuke.

And so it begins...

Enjoy.

* * *

Naruto's skin was practically vibrating as he stared at the giant doors blocking his exit from Konoha. The red hiragana "a" and "un" on each door stared at him, taunting him, even as patrol ninjas moved to open the heavy panels of wood. Naruto's heart pounded sharply with excitement, and he jiggled anxiously on his toes to shed some excess energy.

He was going to leave Konoha's boundaries. He was going to _leave_ Konoha, without his ring or his guilt or his chakra telling him to return to his master's side. He was going to walk out those doors, and _not return_ until he was damn well _ready_.

Like a free man.

Naruto's breath shortened at the thought, pupils slitting involuntarily as he physically restrained himself from leaping over the city wall and racing out into the surrounding forests. He wanted to feel the wind in his hair again; smell the dirt and the grass beneath his feet, warmed by the sun; leap over ravines and crawl up cliffs and howl to the world at large that he was _here_, even though it had forgotten him. He wanted the freedom he'd once had so badly that he could taste the _air_, a sharp, leafy mint that rolled on his tongue. His teeth elongated within his mouth, and his scalp tingled as his hair ruffled with the wild chakra surging through him, demanding to be released. Inhaling sharply, he shut his eyes and tilted his head back against the morning sun.

The giant doors began to creak.

Naruto's right hand clenched involuntarily on the rough strap of the travelling pack slung over his shoulders, chakra-sharpened nails biting into the fabric. It had been so fucking long. Ever since his enslavement, he'd been trapped within Konoha's great walls. In the later years, he'd been trapped within the Uchiha complex, cocooned by so many man-made barriers that he could hardly sense the outside world anymore. Occasionally, he'd gotten a brief taste of the outside, like when he'd raced to protect Sasuke from those Sound ninjas, but he'd always been hounded by his ring and chakra, with voices in his head screaming at him to return.

But now, there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of the wind, the smell of the new clothes on his back, and the fierce pounding of his heart in his chest. His ring lay cold and heavy on his finger.

And it was all because of Sasuke. The gloomy, pissy, short-tempered bastard who happened to be the most gloriously wonderful person on the planet. Possibly the most fantastic person ever born. People should compose ballads in his honor.

Peeling his eyes open, Naruto snuck a glance at the stoic young man standing next to him. Sasuke's eyes flitted towards him, curiosity flickering within them. Naruto bit his lip and turned away, eyes glued to the slowly parting doors before him. As they were going on an official mission, they had to formally leave through these doors and return through them when finished. Thus, Naruto had to go through the torture of watching them open, granting him his freedom inch by painful, heart-stopping inch. His stomach churned, bile biting the back of his throat as he stared.

He couldn't stand it. His leg muscles jumped, ready to fling himself at the doors and claw at them until they broke down. He was so close, so fucking close to escape, and gods, he wasn't entirely sure that he'd be able to control himself once those doors opened fully.

The doors had opened enough to reveal the road before them. The road that would take him _away_ from this godforsaken place.

A strange keening noise welled up in his throat before he could stop it, but Naruto managed to swallow it down, ducking his head to avoid the strange look Sasuke shot him. He bounced on the balls of his feet again, staring through the fringe of his blond locks as his passageway grew wider and wider. His blood was on fire, his senses had sharpened to an almost painful degree, and he could hear birds nearly two miles away already. He wanted to _leave_.

The patrol ninjas grunted and settled back against the doors, smiling grimly at the two waiting ninjas. They opened their mouths, which Naruto took to mean they were speaking, but it was too late. His mind had already cleared. He was beyond comprehension of these tiny little humans, and far beyond caring.

The doors were open.

The world was _his_.

* * *

Sasuke eyed Naruto uneasily as the two patrol ninjas secured the doors. The blond had been acting strangely ever since they'd left Tsunade's office, first peppering Sasuke's abused ears with chatter, and finally falling into a strange, tense silence. Sasuke had been forced to drag Naruto into a clothing shop, something he'd been certain that the blond would enjoy, and instead of reveling in the experience, Naruto had simply given him a wild-eyed look and grabbed the first things he saw.

Which, unfortunately for Naruto, had included orange pants and a horrifying orange jacket with a thick, white trim that Sasuke would rather burn than see worn on any humanoid. Sasuke had wrestled the clothing out of his grip and thrown them back into the bargain bin they came from, ignoring Naruto's shrill protests. The blond had then quickly bought a deep red shirt and black pants, and hustled Sasuke out of the store before the brunet could complain. The fox demon's eyes had still held a wild, nearly feral gleam within them, and he'd been practically vibrating with unshed energy until they finally reached Konoha's main gates, packed and ready to go.

Frankly, Sasuke was surprised that Naruto hadn't simply jumped out of his skin, slung it over his shoulder like an empty jumpsuit, and run for the hills.

While the two doors opened, Sasuke wasn't entirely convinced that Naruto wouldn't do exactly that. The crystal Sasuke wore had warmed upon his chest, nearly burning his skin through his black shirt. At the same time, chakra had swirled tightly around the blond demon, a tiny, invisible web of power that teased the hair on Sasuke's neck and arms into standing on end. The demon had only glanced at him once while they waited.

And now that the doors were open, Naruto had abruptly stopped his fidgeting and had gone perfectly still.

After latching a hidden bolt at the bottom of the door, the patrol guards straightened and gave Sasuke and his companion a dry grin.

"Well, you're all free to go," one commented, leaning back against the heavy wooden door. "Good luck in Sand. I heard they're not very…accommodating these days."

Sasuke acknowledged them with a short nod, shifting the pack on his back and stepping forward. The wide dirt road before them stretched on into the rolling hills in the distance, lush forests encroaching upon its edges. Fingers lifting to the necklace at his throat, he glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. The blond's red eyes were staring blankly into the distance.

Frowning, Sasuke stopped walking and angled his body back towards the other man. The two patrol guards curiously looked back and forth between them.

"Oi, Naruto," Sasuke called irritably. "Come on. We don't have all day."

Naruto blinked slowly, swinging his eyes over to the waiting brunet. The intensity of his crimson gaze slammed into Sasuke, causing the younger man to freeze instinctively. Chakra crackled hypnotically over the demon's skin, drawing Sasuke's abruptly Sharingan-lit eyes like a dancing flame. He could feel that power reaching out to him, curling around his arms and legs. Unconsciously, Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.

"Uchiha." The single word had been ground out of Naruto's throat, roughly piercing the sudden, thick silence. "Tell me that I can leave Konoha."

Forcing himself to take a shallow breath, Sasuke gathered himself and nodded curtly. "Naruto, I—" His voice cut off at a sharp glance from the blond, a warning clear in the demon's eyes. Sasuke reconsidered his words, glancing warily at the eavesdropping guards. To his surprise, the two men appeared frozen in place, unblinking and unseeing. Sasuke swallowed with difficulty and returned his gaze to the tense demon before him. He took another breath.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune, I grant you permission to leave Konoha's boundaries," he stated with as much authority as he could muster. As soon as the last word left his mouth, the necklace around his neck flushed with warmth that echoed in his chest, ripping a gasp from his lips. Instinctively, he clutched at the crystal.

Naruto exhaled loudly, ducking his head as his shoulders slumped in relief. He stood like that for a moment, just long enough for the two guards to resume movement. Concerned despite himself, Sasuke took a step forward.

"WOOHOO!!"

The loud whoop from the blond startled Sasuke into an undignified jump as the blond's head snapped up, both tanned fists pumping at the air. In seconds, the blond had raced over to where Sasuke stood, snagged his hand, and begun dragging him down the winding road, laughing as he went. Behind them, the bewildered guards dutifully shut Konoha's doors.

Just as the running pair hit the first line of trees, Sasuke's brain caught up to him. Scowling, he dug in his heels and tore his hand free.

"Naruto, what the fuck is the matter with you?" he demanded. Without warning, Naruto spun about and grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders, grinning at him with a nearly maniacal light glinting in his eyes.

"The _matter?_ You want to know what's the _matter_ with me??" Naruto tossed his head back and laughed, speckled sunlight from the canopy above dancing over his features. Sasuke stared at him. "Nothing! Nothing's the matter with me, you fantastic, wonderful creature!"

And then, an unspeakable horror occurred.

Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke and _lifted_ him, spinning about in circles.

Sasuke was being _violated_.

After making an embarrassing squeaking sound that he'd deny to his dying day, Sasuke violently squirmed free of the demon's overly exuberant grip. Hitting the ground heavily, he swung his right fist into Naruto's left cheek.

_CRACK._

"Don't you _EVER_ touch me like that again!!" Sasuke yelled, chest heaving. Mortified, he felt his cheeks heating with an unstoppable blush. No one, _no one_ in all his years had dared to touch him that way. Just the memory of the embrace made his skin crawl unpleasantly.

Unfazed, Naruto rubbed his cheek and grinned. "Sorry," he replied in an utterly insincere manner. "But do you have any idea how _long_ it's been since I've been outside Konoha's boundaries? Do you have any idea…any _concept_ of…"

Excitement visibly bubbling over, Naruto began pacing from tree to tree, placing a hand reverently on each as he passed it. Breathing sharply and rapidly, Naruto glanced at Sasuke through drastically dilated pupils.

"I…you…" Faster than even Sasuke's eyes could follow, Naruto appeared in front of him, face millimeters away from Sasuke's own. Sasuke reared back reflexively, only to have Naruto grab him by the upper arms and _stare_ into the brunet's distinctly unsettled gaze. "_Thank you._"

Sasuke leaned as far back as the demon's grip would allow, then issued an uncomfortable, "You're welcome."

Naruto shook his head. "No, I mean…I can't express how…"

Abruptly, the demon dissolved into Old Japanese, babbling in words and phrases that hadn't been used since 794 AD. Sasuke stared incredulously at the man in front of him, standing stock still as unfamiliar words washed over him.

…_A "few hundred" years old my ASS._ Naruto was speaking in a language so archaic that Sasuke couldn't understand a word of it, just so the demon could express himself properly. Mentally shaking himself, Sasuke scowled.

"Naruto!" The babbling stopped. "Japanese. Look into it." When the blond stared blankly at him, Sasuke sighed. "I don't understand a word you're saying. If you're going to express your undying gratitude, at least do it in a language I can understand!"

Naruto paused, then grinned unrepentantly. "If modern Japanese weren't so self-limiting, maybe I could." His grin took on a bit of a feral quality at the edges. "Do you want me to translate what I said?"

"Definitely not."

A wicked light gleaming in his red eyes, Naruto stepped closer to Sasuke, nearly pressing himself against the Uchiha heir's body. A quick tightening of the hands on his biceps halted Sasuke's attempt to step back, and the Uchiha found himself forced to look up into the face of the demon who was suddenly, inexplicably taller than him. Swallowing uncomfortably, Sasuke scowled up at him.

"Naruto…" he ground out as a warning.

Unnaturally sharp teeth glinted in the dappled sunlight as the demon's grin grew. "All I was saying, Sasuke-kun," he began, voice lowered to a deep rumble, "is that I'm so happy I could _kiss_ you."

_Poof._

Without warning, a confused Naruto found himself holding a log in his hands. He blinked in surprise, then glanced up at the Uchiha, who was now standing several meters away with a murderous expression on his face. He glanced back down at the log.

"Aw."

"Don't. Even. _Think about it_." Irritated at having to fight down another blush, Sasuke strode past the demon, heading deeper into the woods. "We don't have time to play your little games."

Naruto tossed the log aside and trotted up to the irate Uchiha's side. "Lighten up, Sasuke," he replied cheerily. "It's not like I was actually going to plant one on you. I'm just trying to convey my gratitude."

"Do me a favor. Don't." Sasuke glared at him. "And, for the last time, _stop flirting with me_. It's disturbing."

Naruto shrugged carelessly, linking his hands behind his head and staring up at the thick, high canopy above their heads.

"I can't help it. I'm stuck with you, you're pretty, and you keep proving that you're not the heartless dick I thought you were. Flirting is the natural consequence." The blond tilted his head to the side, slanting a glance at his fuming master. "At least you know I'm not serious. I told you, I'm not into Uchihas."

Sasuke grunted in reply, glowering at being called "pretty." Grumpily, he increased his stride.

"I don't care. We have enough on our hands with this mission. I don't want to have to deal with—"

"Worrying about your virtue?"

"…Your insinu—_what?_" Sasuke took a deep breath, gathering the shreds of his patience and temper. He ground his teeth together. _If I keep rising to the bait, Naruto's jokes will never stop._ With great difficulty, he forced himself to adopt a cool, professional tone. "Sand is a good five days away from Konoha, and that's assuming we spend most of our time running. The Kazekage won't be inclined to be gracious, and probably stands to benefit if something happens to us or to the team he assigns us. I'll need you on your guard."

Naruto sighed and waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure I can handle him and his goons. You forget, you're traveling with the number one demon in the land." He winked. "We'll be fine."

"I'm sure your capable hands have it covered," Sasuke replied dryly, "but try to keep an eye out anyway."

The demon grunted. "Whatever." Without warning, Naruto leapt up into the thick branches above them, racing ahead with powerful strides. He glanced back over his shoulder, calling out, "If it takes us a full five days to get there, Sasuke, it'll be because your pansy ass slowed me down! Get a move on!"

Snarling, Sasuke followed suit, but the demon's silhouette disappeared within moments. His temples began to throb.

_I'm going to kill him before this mission is over._

* * *

Wind howled in Naruto's ears as he delightedly sprang from tree to tree, flexing muscles that had gone mostly unused for centuries. Adrenaline surged through him and he took a giant leap, launching himself briefly out over the canopy before crashing through it again. He laughed heartily.

This was _his_ land. The Fire Country had belonged to him long before it had been named. Every tree, every mountain, every spirit and animal was under _his_ dominion, and no one else's. None could challenge him, and few were foolish enough to even try. He _owned_ it, breathing life into the world just as it breathed life into him. Gods, he'd missed it. He'd missed feeling the forest wrap itself around him like a comforting blanket, missed tapping into the threads of power that wove themselves throughout the world he'd known.

He missed it with an ache that squeezed at his ribcage, crushing under the weight of his regret.

Abruptly, regret shifted to rage, a tree creaking ominously beneath him in harmony with the demonic chakra suddenly spilling forth. Naruto's teeth bared unconsciously.

_How DARE he take this from me. Denying me what is mine by BIRTH. _

He growled furiously, fists clenched as wave after wave of potent rage crashed through him, clawing at his throat and nerves like a wild beast. The trees around him groaned in sympathy.

_He'll pay. I swear on my life that bastard will PAY._

A sweet-scented wind cut past his nose, startling him out of his dark thoughts. Slowing his strides, Naruto briefly closed his eyes and inhaled. The reminder of his newfound freedom caused the rage to ebb, smoldering at the base of his heart. As if it recognized its usefulness, the gentle breeze curled about him, whispering in his ears and teasing his wild hair. Naruto sighed, opening his eyes. A few more strides brought him to the edge of a sharp slope, and he paused on a thick branch.

The world seemed to expand before him, deep valleys and green mountains greeting him with a faint, warm hum. The mountaintops were dotted with the steam from natural hot springs, wisps that languidly curled upwards to mix with low-lying clouds. Patches of earth and forest soaked in the warm morning sunlight that peeked between the clouds. With a faint chuckle, the breeze that had swirled around Naruto's head flew off, joining the wind that streamed down the mountainside and into the valley.

Pensively, Naruto raised a clawed hand to his cheek, touching the weak residue of chakra that had been left by the breeze. A bit more of his rage burned away as he took in the living remains of his past realm. The sky did not cry out his name, and the trees did not cheer in his presence like they once did. The spirits that he had relied upon, the demons and elementals that had made the world _thrive_… He couldn't feel their presence. At that realization, his heart gave a sick _thump_, and he sank down into a crouch onto the thick, worn limb, brushing his fingertips against the gnarled, cracked bark. The world suddenly felt _hollow_, like he'd stepped into a great void. Breathing sharply through his nose, Naruto clenched his teeth and stared mindlessly at the landscape before him. Unbidden, a growl rose to his lips, and he dug his fingers into the branch with a sharp _crack_.

Where the hell had all the magic gone from the world?

Naruto's growl deepened, red eyes sweeping anxiously back and forth. Who was responsible? They couldn't have all _died_ while he was gone, could they? The cool chakra on his cheek faded away, and he lifted a hand to rub at it irritably. The moment he shifted, however, an epiphany struck him. His hand froze.

_Are they all hiding?_

Naruto's hands began to tremble. Swallowing with anticipation, he leaned down and pressed his cheek against the branch of the tree. Gently, he pushed a wave of chakra through the bark, calling voicelessly. Nothing responded, except for the faint hum of living matter. Unconvinced, he pushed again. And again.

_-……………-_

Naruto's breath caught.

_-………u……-_

A sleepy voice, quiet from centuries of silence, _finally_ responded. With a flash of heat, joy lanced through Naruto and danced up his throat, escaping in a light, happy cry. Grinning wildly, he pushed again.

_-Who are you?_- he asked insistently. The presence in the tree shifted, giving his chakra an image of a wizened tree spirit, gnarled and brown with age. Its petulant green eyes peered at him through tiny slits. After a long moment, the eyes opened an increment.

_-……Kyuu……?-_

Naruto's grin widened. _-Yes, old one, it's me. I'm back!-_

The tree spirit seemed to wince at his enthusiasm, the bark-like skin crinkling unpleasantly. _-Not……so old……comparatively.-_

_-Yes, well, I'm more energetic. Why do you hide, old one?-_

The leaves of the tree rustled in a weary sigh. _-No magic……to sustain…us.-_ Within the tree, still visible only to Naruto's chakra, the spirit straightened its twisted back and stared at him through hairs made of stringy vines. As it stared, its face seemed to grow a little less gnarled, a little less wizened. Though its expression didn't change, a bit of warmth touched that earthy face. -_We have all…missed you, my lord.-_

A lump appeared in Naruto's throat, and he had to swallow with difficulty to remove it. He nodded sharply, withdrawing his chakra without a word of goodbye. Wearily, he sat upon the branch of the tree, one leg swinging gently and one leg propped up. He gazed out over the mountains, one hand bouncing gently at the wrist where it rested upon his upraised leg. A maelstrom of indefinable emotions swirled through him, tinged heavily with joy and profound sadness. Joy at the discovery that he was not, as he'd feared, alone.

Sadness that in his absence, the vitality of the land had withered away to nothing. _Nothing_. If he hadn't lost his war, if he'd focused on his duties instead of his birthright…

Naruto clenched his teeth furiously, and slammed his fist upon the bark of the tree. The leaves rustled irritably.

_I can fix this_, he swore to himself, growling under his breath. _It doesn't have to stay this way. I have a __**chance**__ now._

Eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully, he raised his eyes to the sky. His chest tightened.

_And it's all…because of __**Sasuke.**_

* * *

Sasuke's lungs felt raw as he raced through the canopy, desperately following the dissipating red chakra before him. His Sharingan was beginning to sting his eyes with the level of focus he'd forced it into, but with only one in fifteen trees that actually had a trace of that damn demon's chakra on it, he had to squint to find anything at all. The demon had covered so much ground so _quickly_ that even a well-trained Jounin couldn't keep up with the bastard! Cursing mentally, Sasuke slowed his leaps a fraction to catch his breath.

_Pride or no, I can't keep pushing myself at this rate_, he admitted grudgingly, scowling furiously as he raced through the trees. _Five days of this will shred my legs._

His injured ego nearly caused him to throw a kunai at a hapless tree, just to vent his frustration. Intellectually, he _knew_ that he shouldn't be able to keep up with a demon, especially if it was a demon as old as Sasuke was beginning to suspect he was, but…

…Dammit! This was _Naruto_ he was talking about! The obnoxious, moronic, stubborn, flakey blond _pixie_! It was _humiliating_ to be unable to keep up with anyone that…that…

…Perky!

At the height of his internal fuming, the crystal that bounced against his chest abruptly flared red. A pulse of heat shot through him, coursing down his torso and settling into his legs. Unbidden, he slowed to a stop, standing upon a thin branch that trembled under his weight. Incredulous, he scowled down at his legs.

"Naruto…" he ground out. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

The heat in his legs grew stronger, and a new pulse of chakra from the crystal spilled into his chest.

_**Sasuke.**_

The Uchiha stiffened, eyes narrowing at the soundless voice. Light began to shine from the once-blue crystal, casting hued rays in the dusty air. Demonic chakra pooled in his chest, wrapping comfortingly around his heart and lungs.

_**Sasuke. What do you want from me?**_ Naruto—Kyuubi—the demon's voice questioned confidently in his head, ageless in a way that his "human" companion was not, but with the same playful tone he'd come to recognize. _**Do you want power? Strength? Knowledge?**_

Before he could formulate a reply, Sasuke found his legs springing into action. With a startled gasp, he watched himself bound effortlessly through the trees, the green leaves a blur as he passed them at an inhuman speed. One leg flexed deeply, and he was suddenly launched high above the canopy, arms and legs windmilling as he stared wildly down at the forest below him.

"N-Naruto!!" he spluttered, watching fearfully as he plummeted back down towards the trees. Warmth spread throughout his entire body, forcing him to land with impossible grace before launching him into the air again. Wind screamed past his ears. Fighting for breath—and control of his body!—Sasuke forced out a reply as he plummeted once again, his stomach clenching queasily. "Stop controlling my body, you fucking bastard!!! LET ME DOWN!"

_**Why?**_ On Sasuke's next landing, he fell into an animalistic crouch, and his travelling pack smacked him sharply on his back. His limbs slid fluidly into a loping run through the trees, carrying him towards the infuriating demon. _**I can give you this power, Sasuke. I can make you unstoppable.**_ Without prompting, Sasuke's left arm exploded into a red Chidori so large that it detonated a tree as he passed by. The thunder of the tree falling resonated deep into Sasuke's bones. _**I can make it so that no mortal you come across even has a DREAM of a chance against you.**_

Sasuke started gasping for breath, fighting a strange sense of panic at the demon's words. "Naruto! Stop! Get out of my body!!" When his body continued to move without his consent, a spike of fury overrode his fear. "Naruto, I ORDER you to STOP!"

His body came to a halt. Limbs freed, Sasuke leaned over and rested his hands on his knees, head bent as he tried to catch his breath. Naruto's chakra swirled through him.

_**I'm serious, Sasuke. All you have to do is ask. What do you want to wish for? What do you desire? I'll give it to you, whatever it is.**_

Sasuke wearily pressed a hand to his temple, still doubled over. "And what's the catch this time?" he demanded angrily. "Am I going to end up in a coma if I agree?"

The demon hesitated. _**…No catch. I…**_

Sasuke waited impatiently, his breath finally slowing.

…_**I…want to. I want to do this for you.**_

Frowning, the Uchiha heir managed to straighten up. "Why? Why now?"

_**Because…no one, since I was first enslaved…has done as much for me as you have. You're different.**_ A stray tendril of chakra reached out of the crystal to brush hesitantly against his cheek. _**So, if you have a wish, any wish that's within my power…I will grant it. Just ask.**_

And suddenly, Sasuke couldn't breathe. Anything he wanted? The power to defeat his brother, once and for all? The ability to restart his family line, despite the fact that his blood was all that remained? Anything? He could sense the demon waiting for his response, and all of his selfish hopes clamored to the surface. He opened his mouth—

…And sighed heavily. "No, Naruto. I'm not going to make a wish."

…_**What??**_

Sasuke resisted the urge to sit down, rubbing a hand against his forehead as he suppressed the sick feeling in his stomach. "I'm not going to use you that way," he stated resignedly. "If I'm going to achieve the things I want…I'm going to do them under my own power. I need to know that _I'm_ capable of it." _At least for now_, he added ruefully.

Silence reigned through the strange link between them. Sasuke was practically bludgeoned with the demon's shock as it pulsed through the crystal. After a long moment, Naruto finally blurted a reply.

_**I… You… I finally cave in and hand you anything you want on a silver platter, and you TURNED ME DOWN??**_

Sasuke grimaced. "Yes."

Silence. The foreign chakra within him had stilled, giving him a clear impression of being stared at.

_**Sasuke…**_

He braced himself. "What?"

…_**I really think I'm starting to like you.**_

* * *

Bathed in the flickering light of dozens of candles, Orochimaru scowled at the series of scrolls before him. Their faded, messy calligraphy had taken him _days_ to sort through, and they had turned out to contain little more than a few useless water jutsu. Frustrated, he swiped the scrolls off his low table and hurled them at the wall, where they made a series of dry _thuds_. He closed his eyes tightly, clamping down on his anger.

**Their** claws scraped gleefully upon the floor around him, tapping on his table and some growing so bold as to tug imperceptibly at his hair. A bead of sweat appeared at his temple as he fought to keep from flinching. **They** had grown more and more daring of late, materializing in his wake with more and more solid forms. The stench of death rose from **their** putrid, black bodies, and he gagged at their rotting breath when **they** laughed in his face. It wouldn't be long before **they** began to tear at him with **their** claws.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Orochimaru composed himself. He was running out of time, yes, but nothing that a body-transfer wouldn't temporarily cure him of. **They** had been tormenting him for decades, and though **they** had never actually laid hands on him before, there was no reason to assume that he couldn't rely on his old tactics of avoiding **them**.

Another rancid demon tugged more sharply on his hair, and the others laughed maniacally. More sweat appeared on the man's face, and his stomach churned. Obviously, he would no longer be able to hunt for jutsu based on eyes alone to avoid **them**. His eyes twitched with worry. If not that, what could he do? How could he save himself from whatever horrible fate awaited him at **their** hands?

One began to tug at his sleeve. The fabric seemed to soak in some noxious fluid, sagging heavily from his arm. Unnerved, he rose gracefully to his feet and strode towards the door, desperate to distance himself from those inescapable creatures.

As he reached out to open the sliding door, it shifted open of its own accord. **They** laughed at him. Grinding his teeth undetectably, he stepped back and glared at the young minion before him.

"_What?_" he demanded. The youth flinched.

"Temae has returned from the raid upon Konoha, Orochimaru-sama. He has urgent news."

One corner of the man's lips turned upward in a cruel smile. "I see. And you have deemed this important enough to interrupt me with?"

Before the young ninja could reply, the white-haired Sound ninja in question appeared before him, bowing low to the ground. His eyes shone golden with his eagerness.

"My lord," he gushed, "please permit me my report. I bring you news of great urgency!"

Orochimaru scowled, turning his back on the ninja. "Perhaps you can inform me, then," he began in icy tones, "of why you went on an unauthorized…"

The man froze, staring into the room in shock. **They** had backed away from the door, conversing silently amongst **themselves** in apparent unease. **They** had never reacted this way in front of any of his minions before. A vicious streak of curiosity and malicious hope struck him at his core, and he turned around with a pleasant smile.

"Tell me, Temae-kun. What exactly is this…_news_ of yours?"

**They** trembled.

* * *

Sasuke powered his way through the forest canopy, his legs still shaky after being commandeered by the fox demon. Scowling, he slowed as he finally spotted Naruto's form ahead of him. The demon was curled up against the trunk of a giant tree, travelling pack wedged against the wood behind him and one leg propped up on the thick branch. As Sasuke approached, Naruto tore his gaze off the scenery before him and turned towards the brunet, an unreadable expression on his face.

Fury snapped and hissed within Sasuke's chest, cresting as he unsteadily landed upon the branch. He scowled viciously as he stalked forward. Naruto's eyebrows knitted together, and the broad demon instinctively leaned backwards.

"Sasuke, what—"

_CRACK!_

Naruto's head snapped to the side, and he scrabbled desperately at the branch to keep from falling off. Wincing, he stretched his jaw.

"Sasuke, you know, that's really starting to get old," he whined.

Sasuke took an enraged step forward, grabbing a fistful of Naruto's shirt and hoisting him up. Sharingan-lit eyes narrowed, he hissed at the blond demon.

"Don't you _ever_ steal my body like that again!"

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Frustrated, Sasuke shook him violently, taking dark pleasure in the way Naruto's eyes began to roll. "Don't. You. _EVER_. Take control of my body!" His free hand curled into a tight fist and trembled from the Uchiha heir's restraint. "If you _ever_ do that again—"

"Woah, woah, wait! Don't finish that sentence!" Naruto blurted, clasping Sasuke's wrists like a lifeline. He darted to his feet. "If you finish what you're saying, the ring will…"

When he trailed off, both men glanced down at the offending piece of metal. It had begun to glow faintly. Scowling, Sasuke shoved Naruto backwards and was unimpressed when the man slammed up against the tree trunk.

"_Fine_. But I don't _ever_ want you to steal my body again!" He pointed a finger at Naruto's chest. "_No one_ controls me, understood?"

"Right, right. I got it." Naruto frowned uncomfortably, running a hand over his rumpled shirt. "I have no idea why you're so mad, though. I was just trying to show you what I can _do_ for you. I can make you ridiculously powerful, Sasuke. I'm even _offering_." He spread his hands wide, shrugging helplessly. "I don't know what to do with you!"

Sasuke turned his face away, staring disconsolately at the sloping mountains before them. "Is it so unreasonable that I want to do things under _my_ power, rather than borrowing it from someone else?" He rubbed at the scar on his neck, feeling the faint tinge of residual chakra from Orochimaru. Sasuke continued, muttering, "I've already learned that lesson."

Naruto was quiet for so long that Sasuke turned back towards him. The blond's expression had gone soft, a strangely commiserating glint in his blue eyes.

"No, it's not unreasonable," the blond replied quietly. "Not at all."

The two stood silently, averting their eyes awkwardly. Naruto cleared his throat noisily, tossing his hands up over his head.

"Well! If you want to do it on your own, that just makes you cooler in my book. I might actually move beyond just tolerating you!" Grinning, he moved forward and slapped Sasuke's shoulder. "Go get 'em, champ!"

Sasuke stared at the fox demon. "You're disturbing me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you always say that. Now, then, we should get moving, right?" Sliding his pack off one shoulder and hanging it at his side, Naruto turned his back on Sasuke and crouched down. "Hop on!"

Sasuke's eyes began to twitch. "Excuse me?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder. "I said, hop on! I can get us through these mountains far faster than your pansy-ass can. Let's go!"

The Uchiha heir nearly growled at him, determinedly turning away and jumping down from the branch. As soon as he landed, the loose earth on the steep slope gave way, sending him on a controlled slide down the mountain. Naruto yelped, then audibly landed behind him and stumbled to catch up.

"Sasuke, what the hell??"

The Uchiha heir glanced over his shoulder at the irate demon and smirked. "I've had enough of your pace for the day. Just see if you can keep up."

Naruto was visibly having issues with the unstable ground, growling as he fought to keep his feet consistently under himself. After centuries of being cooped up, his coordination seemed to have taken a hit. His arms occasionally windmilled. "I can 'keep up' just _fine_, Sasuke, but it'd be a lot easier if you just let me jump down this!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "No jumping. We're doing things _my_ way today." Facing forward, he allowed himself a tiny, competitive smile. "Try not to roll down the mountain, usuratonkachi."

Naruto cursed.

* * *

Sakura balanced her medical tray on one hand while she tried to shuffle her notes around with the other. Her lips turned down into a moue of disgruntlement as she ineffectually shifted her papers around. She couldn't get the damn _door_ without the use of at least _one_ of her hands, and with her sheets so messy, she couldn't risk laying them on top of her heaping medical tray without spilling them all over the floor. Growling audibly, she glared at her papers, then at the door, and back at her work with mounting fury.

A throat clearing behind her made her head snap around. Hyuuga Neji stood about a meter away, looking like if he were anyone else, he'd appear uncomfortable. As it was, he merely tilted his head towards the Door of Doom, as Sakura's overly dramatic imagination was beginning to call it.

"May I?"

Sakura nodded sharply, unconcerned about being caught in yet another display of temper—after all, anyone who visited Hokage Tower on a regular basis had seen it before. Neji dutifully opened the heavy steel door for her, allowing her to stomp past him before following her through. He gave her a short nod and began to head unconcernedly down the hall, but after a moment's hesitation, she elected to follow him.

"Hyuuga-san. Do you have a moment?"

Neji paused, glancing back at her with a cool expression. Biting her lip, Sakura stepped closer to him.

"What do you think of Sasuke-kun's new companion?"

The pale-eyed Jounin stared at her impassively. "Which one?"

"Well…both of them. Either of them. I mean…" She glanced away uncertainly. "I went to check up on Kyuubi-chan around noon to make sure that he's being fed, but he was nowhere to be found."

Neji's expression, if possible, became even more unreadable. "And?"

"Well, don't you think it's odd? Both Naruto and Kyuubi-chan appeared at almost the same exact time, and when Naruto goes off on a mission with Sasuke, Kyuubi-chan disappears, too. It's just…weird." She frowned up at the taller Jounin. "I know you saw them both at the same time, but…"

Neji pressed his lips together before responding. "They were in the same place at the same time. They were both obnoxious. And they both seem to unsettle Uchiha. If the fox followed the two of them on their mission, it's his prerogative as a familiar."

"But—"

"Good day, Haruno-san." With that, Neji continued on his way, leaving the frustrated pink-haired woman behind. Once out of her sight, his eyebrows furrowed. He, too, had noticed something odd about the pair, but for the life of him, he hadn't been able to figure out what. His Byakugan had turned up nothing out of the ordinary about either of them, and so his mind should have been set at ease.

But he wasn't. All of his instincts were screaming whenever he thought of the fox or the blond man, and he'd learned long ago to trust them. Was Naruto lying? Where had the familiar come from in the first place? The questions gnawed at him. Pausing by a window, he allowed himself to frown.

Despite the warm late-spring day, an unseasonably cool wind had begun to blow.

* * *

Naruto inhaled deeply, soaking in the scent of warmed earth as he and Sasuke navigated through a particularly dense bamboo forest. Above them, the bamboo trees waved gently in the light early-evening breeze, _clack_ing together irregularly. The sun was just beginning to dip past the horizon, casting up orange and red rays into the clouds like eyelashes that yearned to stay open. Naruto tugged thoughtfully at his red shirt and frowned, glancing warily at the waning moon that was beginning to peek through the bamboo. In response, his ring gave a faint twinge.

Sighing, Naruto lowered his gaze to the young man in front of him and folded his arms behind his head. "You know, I could've gotten us up the next mountain by now," he griped.

Sasuke made a strange, strangled noise, then glared at Naruto over his shoulder. "If you make one more complaint, usuratonkachi, I'm going to kill you."

The demon pouted. "What? You're the one forcing a demon who hasn't been outside in ages to travel at a _snail's pace_. My legs are _aching!_"

Surprisingly enough, his legs actually were burning. Every step and light run—for him—over the course of the day had his legs twitching for release. He wanted to run all over the mountains like a madman, shift into his fox form and leap over rivers and gullies, do _anything_ to bleed off the excess energy he'd pent up inside the Uchiha complex. Being outside, smelling the forest around him and _still_ being unable to cut loose…

"You know what?" he remarked abruptly. "I take it all back."

Sasuke's glare had intensified. "Take what back?" he ground out.

"All the nice things I said about you. You really are a bastard."

Fists clenched, Sasuke viciously tore through the last of the bamboo and stepped out into a narrow, grass covered plateau. A mountain covered with trees rose sharply on their right, flattening out onto the plateau before dropping off into a steep cliff a few meters to their left. The cliff spread out beside them, a broken channel between the darkening mountains. A river flowed quietly at the bottom, winding lazily ahead into the folded landscape. On the dark sides of the mountains ahead, pockets of mist were already beginning to rise from thermal vents.

While Naruto was distracted by the once-familiar landscape, Sasuke turned to face him and scowled. "_I'm_ the bastard? I'm not the one who's spent all damn day complaining about our pace! Between your stunt this morning and my speed since then, we've covered over twice the ground we should have today!" He turned away, adding under his breath, "_My_ legs are killing me thanks to _you_."

The demon shrugged, eyeing the dark caves on the distant side of the valley. "If you'd just ridden on my back in the first place—"

"_Naruto._ Shut. _Up._"

Behind Sasuke's back, Naruto made a face he'd learned from the anime he'd watched on the terribision, pulling down one eyelid and sticking his tongue out. The Uchiha heir twitched ahead of him, giving the demon just enough time to drop the pose and start whistling before the brunet spun around. Naruto smiled at the frustrated growl the younger man released.

"You know, you probably would have fit right in back in the old days," he stated cheerfully, trotting forward to walk at the grumpy Uchiha's side. "You snarl beautifully."

A pale hand reached up to pinch at the bridge of his aristocratic nose. "Naruto…"

Naruto began to reply, but a cool wind abruptly rushed up from the valley and cut him off. The demon stopped walking, inhaling sharply. After a moment, Sasuke paused as well, looking at him strangely.

"Naruto?"

_The sea? _

The smell of salt and rain flooded the fox's senses, forcing him to close his eyes. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, loud as a drumbeat upon an overturned tree. Ancient voices rose up around him, laughter and anger and a mischievous smile—

"Naruto!"

With a gasp, the blond opened his eyes and shook his head, clearing the strange thoughts from his head. He glanced down, startled to find Sasuke's hand clenching his shoulder. The brunet stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"What just happened to you, usuratonkachi?" he demanded. Naruto stared at him, surprised by the faint echo of concern he could feel through the crystal on the young man's chest. He smiled weakly.

"Nothing. Just…got a little caught up in some…memories."

The Uchiha heir frowned at him, lifting a hand to clasp at the crystal necklace. Immediately, Naruto felt a sympathetic pulse of warmth in his chest. He shivered.

Sasuke's eyes trailed over to the cave-speckled cliffs, his thumb rubbing the blue crystal absentmindedly.

"…Your own?"

Naruto blinked at him. "What?"

"Those memories. Were they your own?"

_How the hell did he know?_ Unsettled, Naruto slowly shook his head. "…No. I don't think so."

Sasuke nodded slowly, finally pulling his hand away from the crystal. The strange feeling in Naruto's chest dissipated, but the fox demon found himself more disturbed than before. The two locked eyes, and Sasuke inclined his head in confirmation.

"I had a feeling," the Uchiha stated. After a quiet moment, he glanced once more at the cliffs and turned away. "Let's keep moving. We'll probably have to find a place to camp pretty soon."

Naruto stared after him, frowning. Just how much insight did that crystal grant Sasuke, anyway? It let him into his dreams, it told him how he felt… He shrugged uncomfortably.

_Maybe I was a bit rash in handing that necklace over._

Before he moved to follow Sasuke, he glanced back over at the darkened caves. Storm clouds seemed to be gathering in the rolling mountains beyond them, faintly encouraging an odd pull on his chakra. He wanted… Strangely enough, Naruto felt like he needed to investigate those caves.

At the same time, he felt certain that going there would be a spectacularly bad idea.

Rolling his shoulders, the fox demon determinedly turned his back on the cliffs and followed his master along the plateau. Up ahead, the sun finally lost her grip on the sky and dropped below the horizon, allowing the sky to darken and the moon to brighten.

Though he tried to ignore it, Naruto could swear he heard laughter echoing in the distant storm.

* * *

Sasuke's legs tingled as he began to climb the next steep mountain slope, wearily reminding him that he'd more than pushed his limits today. Despite the fox demon's rants, they'd been travelling for hours at a full sprint for Sasuke, stopping only to choke down some rations for lunch. Though he hated to admit it, he'd probably have to take it easier the next day, or else his body would be useless by the time they reached Sand. Eyebrows furrowed, he rubbed at one aching shoulder. If it weren't for the fact that the obnoxious demon would rub it in his face, Sasuke would probably ask him to heal his sore muscles, but he was already having trouble trying not to kill him as it was.

"I'm hungry!"

…_Really_ having trouble.

Sasuke closed his eyes. "Naruto, we need to find a campsite. _Then_ we can eat."

"But, Saaaasukeeeeeee…" the demon whined, crashing noisily through the underbrush. "We've had nothing to eat since we left but those awful protein bars. If we don't get something _real_ to eat soon, I'm going to eat _you!_"

When the demon moved next to him on their impromptu path, Sasuke leveled him with a glare. "You know that real food is too bulky to take with us, Naruto. You'll survive."

Naruto lifted a branch over his blond head, glancing at Sasuke with red eyes. "Uchiha. I'm serious."

Sasuke paused before replying, stepping over a fallen log. The demon's teeth were noticeably longer, his canines even beginning to peek out from under his lips. The brunet sighed heavily.

"Fine. If you think you can find us something, you can go hunt, but don't forget we need to—"

Before he could finish, Naruto melted into a giant, wolf-sized fox and darted past him into the woods, brushing a tail or two against Sasuke's leg as he passed. In his wake, his pack lay innocent and forgotten on the ground. The Uchiha heir rolled his eyes heavenward, asking for strength. "…Find somewhere to sleep."

Moments after the fox departed, the woods around him began to hum quietly with noise, crickets and owls tentatively filling the silence. After grudgingly shouldering the second pack, Sasuke trudged forward, deep in thought. He hadn't even noticed the unnatural stillness of the forest until Kyuubi had run off. Obviously, animals could tell that the demon was a force to be reckoned with even in his human form.

And yet, human eyes, even ninja eyes, couldn't gauge what he was. Despite fighting against him and getting inadvertently trapped in Kyuubi's mind, Sasuke had no doubts that he was desperately underestimating his companion's power. Out here, in his element, Kyuubi almost seemed a part of the nature surrounding him, like he was feeding off it and feeding it at the same time. Once or twice during the day, Sasuke had glanced at the demon with his Sharingan, but the red chakra was fluxing too strangely and quickly for him to figure out what Kyuubi was actually doing with it.

If, of course, the demon was even aware of it. For him, it could simply be excess chakra spilling over.

These contemplations were what led him to his conclusion, with the help of the crystal, that the memories Naruto had felt by the cliffs were not his own. For that moment, he'd felt it as surely as the demon himself probably had. Naruto was so in tune with the land that the memories were actually those from the landscape _itself_.

And for that second, Sasuke had felt it resonate within himself, too. The sheer power of the natural world… It was incredible. Exhilarating.

If he'd been abruptly cut off from that kind of force, Sasuke was sure he'd be more than a little edgy himself. As it was, he couldn't fathom how Naruto had kept his sanity, losing nature AND his freedom to a bunch of sadistic megalomaniacs.

"_Sasuke, no! Don't turn off the terribision! No! I neeeeeeeeed iiiiiiit!"_

"_What do you MEAN we can't have ramen for dinner, too? Are you nuts?!"_

"_Nothing's wrong with me, you fantastic, wonderful creature!"_

"_I take it all back. You really are a bastard."_

Then again, perhaps he hadn't.

With a sigh, Sasuke broke through the forest and found himself staring at a worn stone stairway that led up the mountainside, a wooden torii with long-since faded red paint teetering at the base. He squinted up into the dark recesses of the forest, but he couldn't make out the outline of the shrine that was at the other end of the stairs. Since he couldn't detect any chakra, it'd probably been abandoned ages ago.

"Shashuke!!"

Without warning, Kyuubi burst into sight, several dead…things in his mouth. He grinned around his prizes, bloody teeth glinting in the moonlight.

"You'g neber guegg whad I foud!"

Sasuke stared at the dead animals flopping about in the fox demon's mouth, his stomach churning. "Kyuubi. Spit those out, then talk."

The fox demon rolled his eyes, but he obediently dropped the carcasses and straightened, resuming his human form. He pointed up the slope excitedly.

"Sasuke, there's a clearing right up there, and guess what's next to it??" Naruto bounced twice on his heels before blurting, "A hot spring! A natural hot spring, and no monkeys in it or anything!"

Sasuke's aching muscles made the decision for him. "Then that's where we'll camp tonight. I think the shrine up here is abandoned anyway, so we shouldn't have to worry about being spotted."

Naruto nodded happily, bending down to gather up his prey. "Yeah, I saw it. The building's pretty run down, and whoever they housed there is long gone." When he straightened, he tossed something dead and spit-soaked at him. "Here! That one's for you."

The Uchiha heir caught it by instinct, wrinkling his nose in distaste. He turned it over gingerly. A rabbit.

"…Thank you," he intoned dryly. "And what about you?"

A horrific crunching sound answered him. Slowly, Sasuke lifted his gaze. Half a…bird?...was sticking out of Naruto's mouth, shifting jerkily as he chewed on it with sharpened teeth. As he watched, the bird disappeared down the blond's throat. Grinning, Naruto smacked his lips.

"I'm good. I had a couple on my way back down." Stepping forward, he took his pack back from Sasuke and slung it haphazardly over his shoulders. "Let's go!"

"…You do realize how disgusting you are."

"Huh?"

"…Never mind."

Within a few minutes of silent walking, the pair crossed into the clearing Naruto had spoken of. A fire was already blazing in the center of it, light dancing upon the glistening rocks of the hot spring beside the grassy spot. Up above, dark clouds were slowly approaching the moon. Sasuke nodded in satisfaction, gratefully shrugging off his pack.

"Nice work," he admitted. "Now we just have to—"

As he spoke, his tent and sleeping bags flew off the top of his pack and began setting themselves up beside the fire. Sasuke watched, his lips pursed.

"I didn't ask you to do that, Naruto," he stated irritably.

"Ask me to do what?" a muffled voice replied. Sasuke looked over to see the blond tangled up in his shirt, his pants already halfway down his legs. Naruto finally freed his head, balling up the red shirt and tossing it on the ground. He glanced over his shoulder, blue eyes taking in the campsite. "Oh. Huh. Fancy that."

Sasuke sighed. "How often are you going to do things like this?"

"Whenever you feel lazy enough to want me to, I guess," the demon replied, bending over after he apparently realized that the shoes had to go before the pants could come off. "Did you want me to cook that rabbit for you?"

The Uchiha heir stared at the dead animal in his hands, then at the fire, and then at the steaming hot spring.

"…It can cook while we soak."

Naruto grinned at him in reply. Less than two seconds later, the blond was naked and easing himself into the water. He let out a long, overly enthusiastic moan.

Shaking his head, Sasuke headed over towards the brightly burning fire and glanced dubiously at the assorted sticks nearby. "Say, Naruto, would you mind?"

The blond didn't bother to turn around, simply waving a hand in the air. The rabbit subsequently skinned and spit itself, rotating slowly over the fire on a newly constructed stand. Intrigued despite himself, Sasuke wandered towards the edge of the hot spring and began pulling off his clothes.

"I'm still wondering how you did that," he murmured, slipping carefully into the hot, volcanic water a few moments later. The heat from the water sank perfectly into his starving muscles, causing him to let out a low moan as he settled down upon the smooth rocks at the bottom of the shallow pool. He stretched his legs out gratefully and let his head fall back against the rim.

"Mm. Guess I'm just more in tune with you than before," Naruto replied drunkenly. His hands drifted lightly across the surface of the water, trailing ripples through it. Sasuke rolled his head to the side, watching him.

"Shouldn't you be uncomfortable in here? I thought water was your contrasting element."

Naruto continued to stare at his sweeping hands, a slow grin steadily crossing his face. "Nope. This water's been heated by magma." He looked up, baring his teeth at Sasuke. "This is _my_ element, now."

Something in Naruto's eyes caused Sasuke to straighten, gazing intently at the blond. He could feel his demon companion's chakra levels rising. "Naruto…?"

The blond continued to stare back at him, his grin fading to a quieter, enigmatic smile. His features began to blur in the rising steam, his whisker marks fading and his hair tinting red in spots at the roots. Swallowing hard, Sasuke shifted.

"Kyuubi...?" he restated hesitantly. The demon simply smiled, eyes turning red, then violet. The rising chakra in the pool began to swirl around him, leaving red marks upon his collarbone and forearms. In the dancing firelight, it looked like the air above Kyuubi's shoulders had begun to spark, tiny flames jumping over his skin. His heart hammering in his chest, Sasuke found himself entranced.

His cheekbones were high and refined, framed on either side by his pointed, elven ears. Kyuubi's wild hair, now completely shot through with red strands, ruffled in a faint breeze and glinted in the firelight. Now, bathed in his element, Kyuubi had returned to his otherworldly form.

The demon was beautiful.

The volcanic energy from the water skirted around and through Kyuubi's body, glancing off his ethereal face like it had kissed him as it passed. Kyuubi's long nails continued trailing through the water, causing tiny flames to dance over the surface. Sasuke was completely unable to break their gaze, and he found himself breathing shallowly in an instinctive attempt to keep from shattering the sudden, heady mood. The Kyuubi who sat beside him was not the bumbling idiot he saw every day. This was the warrior, the king.

Unbidden, Sasuke's lips moved. "How old are you?"

Kyuubi's violet eyes blinked in surprise, and the demon let out a low, rich laugh. "Actually, I'm not sure," he replied in a strangely modulated voice. "Obviously, I lied about being a few centuries old."

"Obviously." Sasuke continued to stare at his companion. "So?"

"Well…I was imprisoned about a thousand years ago. Before that…" The demon tilted his head back, staring up at the moon, the encroaching clouds, and the remaining stars. "I'm really not sure. We don't really keep time the same way you do. I remember being a tiny little fox when you humans first started figuring out how to set up rice paddies."

If his mind weren't already boggled, the incredible sense of time that washed over Sasuke would have done it. "So…two thousand years or so."

"I suppose."

Dazedly, the Uchiha heir slowly shook his head. "That…is very old." His eyebrows furrowed. "Why did you lie to me?"

The demon chuckled again, tilting his head to gaze at Sasuke. "Honestly? I thought you would make fun of me. In light of that, I…bent the truth."

"No, you flat-out lied." Sasuke raised his hand to his forehead, rubbing it wearily. "I…Two thousand years. I can't even fathom that."

Kyuubi smirked at him. "You'll get over it."

Sasuke lowered his hand, frowning at the immortal being next to him. He couldn't process it. This…person next to him was millennia old. Ancient. Out of the water, out of his head, the demon acted anything but. In this form, however…

Sasuke believed him.

Hesitantly, Sasuke stretched one arm out across the slick rocks. "Then how… How did you get enslaved?"

In a flash, the demon's face hardened. "…I lost a war." He scowled down at the water. "I lost a war, and a lot of good people. And I've been paying for it ever since."

"Who did you fight?" As soon as the question left his lips, the crystal upon his chest sent a spike of pain through him. Kyuubi hissed quietly, dipping his ringed hand beneath the water. The pain eased.

The two sat in silence for a long moment, Kyuubi frowning at the steaming water. Slowly, he lifted a cupped hand. Water spilled over the sides of his palm and fingers, but within moments chakra bubbled within the liquid and burst forth, igniting an apple-sized flame over the demon's hand. Both of the stared at the fire.

"Did you know," Kyuubi began quietly, "that without fire, we wouldn't have the sun, or the moon, or the storms?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head.

The flame danced above Kyuubi's palm. "Back before any of this existed, there were two gods. A man, Izanagi, and his sister-wife, Izanami. The two of them grew lonely, and they begat children. The isles of Japan."

Chakra rose and fell like a tide within the spring. Kyuubi continued.

"After they created Japan, they decided to have another child. His name was Kagutsuchi, the god of fire. He was so powerful that he burned his mother from the inside out and killed her." Kyuubi shifted the flame in his hand. "Izanagi, struck with grief, slaughtered Kagutsuchi, and his remains became all the fires of Japan. Izanagi couldn't go on without his wife, and he went to the underworld to see her, but it was too late. She couldn't come back with him.

"When Izanagi broke his promise to refrain from looking at her, Izanami chased him out of the underworld. She became the goddess of death."

A cold wind blew across the clearing.

"After he left the underworld, Izanagi decided to cleanse himself. As he washed his left eye, he created Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun. From his right eye, he created the moon god, Tsukuyomi. And from his nose, he created the god of the storms, the seas, and chaos, Susanoo."

The flame went out. The demon dropped his hand, looking over at Sasuke and pinning him with an intense gaze. "If Kagutsuchi hadn't killed his mother with his birth, Izanagi never would have created the sun, the moon, or the seas."

Sasuke was silent for a long moment, then roughly cleared his throat. "You make it sound like this is a true story."

Kyuubi smiled wryly. "Sasuke. You're sitting in a hot spring with a two-thousand-year-old demon. Is it really that hard to believe?"

The Uchiha heir snorted. "I suppose not. I'm also assuming there's a reason you told me that story."

The fox demon shook his head, red and gold hairs tossing. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." He glanced over his shoulder. "Your rabbit is done."

"My what?" Startled, Sasuke glanced back at the clearing. His rabbit had turned a beautiful golden brown, and the scent was just starting to make its way over to him. His stomach growled. "I… Alright."

Glancing warily at the pensive demon beside him, Sasuke lifted himself out of the water. His muscles felt completely loose and relaxed, making him slightly lightheaded as he sat on the side of the pool. Cautiously, he reached out and rested a hand on Kyuubi's shoulder, ready to continue questioning him. Instead, a shocking jolt of heat and chakra rushed through him at the contact, ripping a quiet gasp from his lips. Kyuubi turned to look at him, his eyes returning to red and his whiskers slowly reappearing on his face. Naruto gave him a cheeky grin.

"You'd better eat that before I get over there. It smells pretty damn good."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, removing his hand from the blond man's shoulder. His palm tingled from the energy exchange, and he flexed his fingers uncomfortably. The contact had felt oddly good. Really good. Unsettled, he stood and moved towards his clothing, pulling it on.

"Just get out of the water, Naruto. We're going to bed after I finish eating."

"Yes, mother," Naruto replied in a smarmy voice, reluctantly rising from the steaming water.

Sasuke shot a glare at him, then slowly smirked. "Strange for a geezer like you to be calling me his mother. Two thousand years, and you still can't change your nappies?"

"HEY! That is NOT FUNNY!" Spluttering and his cheeks red, Naruto hurriedly climbed out of the spring. "See? This is why I didn't want to tell you!"

The Uchiha heir snorted, heading over to the rabbit and removing it from the fire. He blew on it gently. "Don't worry about it, old man. I still respect my elders."

"Saaaasukeeeeeee!" Naruto whined, pulling on his clothing. "Cut it out!"

"After all the torment you put me through today?" Vicious pleasure swept through him as he gave the blond fox demon a smug grin. "What do _you_ think?"

Naruto's resulting groan startled the birds out of the nearby trees. Unnoticed by either man, the dark clouds above finally overtook the moon, obscuring it from view. Despite the darkening sky, the banter around the fire continued well into the night.

Up above, a silent watcher was growing distinctly aggravated.

* * *

A tall man frowned in elegant disapproval as his view was obscured, folding his bejeweled arms within his long, ornately decorated kimono sleeves. The silver fabric glimmered in the cool light of his white palace, colors dancing within the expert weave like the facets of a diamond. The ground outside beamed with a powerful white light, diminished only by the dark storm clouds below. Unaware of his displeased regard, several gray rabbits skittered across the silvery surface, each nibbling on stolen mochi.

"What's the matter, brother? Did I come at a bad time?"

The man turned gracefully, leveling his sibling with a narrowed gaze. "You seem to make a habit of it, Susanoo. Why should now be any different?"

"Oh, brother, as stuffy as always. Even our darling sister is more fun to visit, and she's hated me for most of the last ten thousand years." Susanoo leapt off a tiny floating storm cloud, alighting upon the palace's impeccable marble floor without a sound. A hand went instantly to his long, thin beard, and he smiled impishly. "Upset that your entertainment for the evening has been cancelled?"

"Because of you." The moon god's handsome face turned away, staring at the obscured Earth as though his very gaze could drive the clouds away. "Remove yourself at once. Your interference is not appreciated."

The chilling tone of his older brother's voice would have sent anyone else running. Susanoo merely waved his hand in dismissal.

"My interference is never appreciated. Though honestly, brother, I've gone along with this scheme of yours for over a thousand years. The world is boring without him, and you know it."

Tsukuyomi did not turn, but his icy regard was palpable. "Boring? Since he and his friends have been enslaved, the human world has stabilized. There is _order_ now, and you call it boring?"

"Yes. I do." Susanoo sighed, lifting a hand and twirling it in a circle. Some of the more distant storm clouds obediently churned, forming a funnel down to the Earth. "Kyuubi was a messenger of chaos as much as anything else. I like him."

"You would." Tsukuyomi began to walk along the sacred hallways of his moon palace, his kimono swishing quietly as he moved. Susanoo trailed along behind him, glancing curiously at the rabbits outside. "The world has no place for that demon, nor for what he planned to become. He will learn his place."

"It's been a thousand years," Susanoo quipped, navigating around a tiny maiden in a twelve-layered kimono who was daintily shuffling down the hallway, quoting poetry to her equally tiny attendants. "I'm guessing by your attitude that his lack of _education_ is frustrating you."

Tsukuyomi's frown grew more pronounced. "I do not require your input, little brother. You may go visit our sister if you so feel the need to needle."

"No thanks. She's still a mite touchy after that whole horse thing, and I'd rather not spend more time with our step-mother, if it's all the same to you. Besides, you're the one deliberately mucking up my fun."

"Because all that I do, naturally, is centered upon you," the moon god replied dryly.

"Isn't it?"

Tsukuyomi came to a stop, finally able to see the Earth beyond the clouds his brother had created. Susanoo glowered, noticing, but he made no move to obscure his elder sibling's view. It made no difference—the fox demon was no longer in sight. Instead, a bleak land of wind and sand filled their view.

They watched as the tanuki demon wandered out onto a balcony, staring up at the moon with hateful eyes. Lips curled up, Tsukuyomi removed his hands from his sleeves, revealing eight rings. Only his pinkies went unadorned. With some small amount of pleasure, he tapped the silver ring on his right middle finger. Far below him, the tanuki demon crumpled to the ground in pain.

Susanoo watched quietly, an indeterminate emotion in his eyes. _Pity, perhaps?_ Tsukuyomi wondered idly. The moon god ceased the spell's activation, fingering the gold band on his left ring finger briefly before slipping his hands back into his sleeves. He watched contentedly as the demon slowly rose to his feet, clenched his fists, and returned to his master's side.

The storm god refrained from speaking for several minutes, a feat that surprised his older sibling.

"How long, older brother?" Susanoo finally asked quietly. "How long must you make them suffer?"

Tsukuyomi stared at the strange, uncouth, unfathomable world below him.

"However long it takes."


	14. Identity

**Author's note:** Ok. I wanted to write this ages ago, but seeing as how I can only write late at night (as in 11 pm to 4 am, that's the only time my creative juices are flowing for some reason), I couldn't get the time to do it for the last few months. I was constantly busy with work, with trips, with moving... And as for my personal good news, the insane amount of effort I crammed in to get a fellowship to study in Japan seems to have paid off! Final word isn't until December/February, but for now, it looks like I've got a full scholarship to get my Master's degree at Keio University in Tokyo! Wootness!

*Ahem* At any rate, this chapter goes out to Jay. He taught me that I can, in fact, be bribed. He offered me a funfetti cake with funfetti icing if I finished the chapter by today.

How could I possibly say no to that??

Also, I have pimpages: The fantastic, wonderful, amazing-tastic phoenixdown7 (whom I hope you all know, she's an absolutely brilliant author) did a lovely fanart for me. It's at her devart here: http : / / phoenixdown . deviantart . com / art / Fox-Magic-gift-art-123861810

I've also been uploading the inspiration for the shrine on my own deviantart page: http : / / akaitsume . deviantart. com. Check them out when you finish!

Heavy fanservice ahead. You've been warned!

Enjoy.

* * *

"Naruto. Get into the tent," Sasuke ordered grouchily. The storm above was rumbling threateningly, obscuring the moon and shrouding the entire forest in darkness. Sasuke kneeled upon his black sleeping bag, fingers tightening on the tent flap in his hands as he glared at the demon loitering in the clearing. His heat-relaxed muscles were tingling from all of the exertion he'd forced them through, and all he wanted was to rest.

The demon, however, seemed to have other plans. Sniffing at the air, Naruto threw his hands up over his head and flopped backwards onto the grass beside the extinguished fire. He sighed loudly.

"Sasuke, do we really have to sleep inside the tent?" the fox demon whined. "I'd rather be outside. It smells _great_ out here."

"And it's going to rain on us in about thirty seconds," Sasuke snapped. "Get in here."

"But…!" Naruto rolled back and forth over the grass. "It feels so good!"

"Naruto…" Brows furrowed in frustration, Sasuke hesitated. The demon had been stuck indoors for centuries, hidden away from the world that he loved. Even the crystal was sending spikes of echoed relief and pleasure into Sasuke as the demon rolled around, teasing him to the point where he almost agreed. If watching him felt this good to Sasuke, the blond man was probably in heaven. Sasuke rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. "Don't you still need to have contact with me overnight? I'd leave you out there if I could, but we both need the rest."

"_I_ don't." Grinning, Naruto stopped rolling and propped himself up onto his elbows. "I'm not the wuss in this travelling party. And besides, after jumping into that hot spring, I've got energy to spare!"

To prove his point, the campfire spontaneously sprung to life again, roaring as the flames leapt meters into the air. At Sasuke's warning growl, the flames banked, simmered, and disappeared. Naruto pouted.

"And why can't we keep the fire going, anyway? It's not like I'll let us catch on fire or anything," he grumbled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm not explaining it again. Maybe _you_ would like to be set upon by bandits and rogue ninjas, but _I_ don't. Now, for the last time, get inside this tent before the skies open up!"

As if in reply, the storm clouds groaned.

Naruto tipped his head back to sniff forlornly at the air. "It's not _supposed_ to rain…"

An instant later, thick sheets of water rushed down upon them. Cursing, Sasuke ducked his head further under cover and instinctively dropped the tent flap. The rain thundered against the thick, tough material above him, and the water threatened to seep through the unsealed side opening. Scowling, he quickly pulled the flap aside and prepared to shout angrily at the blond.

Instead, he found himself pausing at the sight before him. Naruto's blond hair and clothing was plastered against himself, fabric already sagging in the torrential downpour. Water ran off his lowered chin in thick streams, splattering against his soaked chest.

And on his face rested the single most insulted, disappointed, petulant frown Sasuke had ever seen. Naruto looked like a child who'd been taken to a giant toy store, promised everything inside, and then presented nothing but empty shelves. And then some cute puppies were slaughtered just for fun.

Sasuke couldn't help it; he snickered. "I told you it would rain. Will you come inside _now?_"

Silently, Naruto turned that miserable frown on Sasuke, then grudgingly rose to his bare feet. Sasuke backed away from the opening as the blond approached, sitting smugly on his sleeping bag with his arms and legs folded. Naruto lifted the flap, glared at him, and gingerly stepped inside the tent, crawling over onto the opposite sleeping bag. As Sasuke watched curiously, the blond began to steam vigorously, his hair and clothing fluffing up as they dried. With a huff, the blond sat down on his bag and glowered at the ground.

"Don't. Say. Anything," Naruto growled. Sasuke smirked, but he obligingly kept his comments to himself. With a satisfied air, the Uchiha leaned forward and zipped up the tent, effectively sealing out the elements. Naruto's expression grew even more profoundly grumpy.

Lips pressed together to keep from smiling, Sasuke unzipped his sleeping bag and began to settle down. As a thought occurred to him, he glanced up at the glowering demon.

"Naruto. Will you magic a tarp over our packs?"

"Do it yourself." The blond lay down irritably, turning his back on his master.

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. "Naruto. I wish the packs were dry and covered with tarps."

He was met with a growl, a _zap_, and the muffled sound of canvas rearranging itself near Naruto's side of the tent. Sasuke smirked, lying down completely. Silence filled the tent for several long, blissful minutes.

Then, Naruto began shifting restlessly. "The modern world sucks," he grouched.

Pressing his lips together, Sasuke refrained from replying.

"I mean it. It does. No magic, no life, no excitement…"

After a moment, Naruto sighed heavily and rolled towards Sasuke, staring at him pensively.

"You know…" Naruto trailed off, eyes roaming Sasuke's face. "I still wish I could show you what this world used to look like. It was so much _more_ before… Well, before I left."

Frowning, Sasuke rolled onto his back and stared at the shuddering tent roof. "More what, exactly?"

Naruto sighed again. "More everything. Livelier, for one. There used to be spirits and demons roaming everywhere. Hell, you couldn't even lie in the grass without something trying to talk to you." His voice grew soft, and his blue eyes became distant. "Everything just felt more…magical."

Sasuke hummed in reply, glancing at the blond man. "So when you were trapped, the world emptied itself out."

The blue eyes closed. "…Yeah."

In the silence that followed, the blue crystal on Sasuke's chest gave a soft, mournful pulse of heat. The Uchiha heir shifted uncomfortably, wrestling with the awkward desire to comfort the blond man. In the end, he grunted and rolled onto his side, facing the tent wall.

"Well," he replied gruffly, "maybe it'll come back now that you're back."

An echo of surprise filtered through him, followed by a soft laugh. "Maybe you're right."

Neither man spoke for several minutes, the silence filled by the thundering rain. The cool temperature within the tent rose quickly, then hovered at a perfectly soothing level of warmth that forced Sasuke's eyelids to droop. Aware that the change was deliberate, Sasuke scowled on principle.

"You don't have to do that, Naruto," he stated in a low tone. Naruto grunted in reply.

"I'm not doing it for you." With a sigh, the demon shuffled around behind Sasuke, hesitated, and then reluctantly threw an arm over Sasuke's side. When both men tensed, Naruto hurriedly continued, "I'd go into my fox form, but…"

"_But?_" Sasuke's teeth ground audibly, despite the roar of the storm above.

"I…um. Can't."

Incredulous, Sasuke twisted his head to look into red eyes. "What do you mean, you can't?"

"I… I wouldn't be…small." Naruto's eyes shifted. "At all."

Sasuke stared at him.

"I've just got a little extra energy from the hot spring, okay? And if I shifted back into my fox form right now, I probably wouldn't…fit." Visibly embarrassed, Naruto moved to press himself gingerly along Sasuke's stiffened back. "So just put up with this, alright?"

"Naruto."

The blond man winced. "I know."

"You're _spooning_ with me."

"I _know_."

Silence. "One day, I'll kill you for this."

Exhaling wearily, Naruto settled in and relaxed.

"I know."

* * *

The smell of sun-baked earth leisurely wafted into Sasuke's nose, causing him to stretch luxuriously as he awoke. Soft blades of field grass whispered against his arms, bared from his bunched kimono sleeves as he moved. He sighed contently, relaxing against the gentle slope of the ground.

A quiet laugh sounded from his side, and a hand ran teasingly down his chest. "Have you finally awoken, then?"

Kyuubi's voice. Sasuke felt his lips curl upwards into a smile, though he didn't open his eyes. A voice he didn't recognize floated from his lips.

"Hard to say, my lord. Can one truly be awake if one is living in a dream world?"

"And what dream world is this?" Kyuubi teased in reply. The hand upon his chest trailed over towards the side of his ribcage, and a pair of warm, dry lips brushed against his bare collarbone. Tendrils of demonic chakra spread from the point of contact, causing Sasuke to gasp. The lips smiled against his skin. "Is it one in which I am present?"

"Hmm." As the lips continued to swipe across his skin, more wisps of chakra were released to swirl beneath his skin, teasing his nerves. Sasuke found himself shifting in the grass as arousal began to course through him, his heartbeat increasing in time with the swirling chakra. "An impossibly handsome demon, well-equipped with chakra and the knowledge of how best to use it to his advantage." He paused. "I suppose you can be here, as well, my lord."

"Minx!" Kyuubi laughed, rolling on top of his companion. Sasuke finally opened his eyes, gazing playfully up at the fox demon. His blond hair was long and wild with red streaks, tumbling freely over his ornate kimono. With a supplicating smile, Sasuke lifted an unfamiliar hand, marked with blue streaks on his wrists, and dragged an elongated nail down the muscular chest revealed by the sagging cloth. Kyuubi shivered, his pupils narrowing. "You shouldn't tease me like this, Hirai-kun."

"It is only teasing if I do not follow through, Kyuubi-sama," Sasuke replied throatily. The demon above him narrowed his eyes, one clawed hand reaching forward to card through Sasuke's long, brown hair.

Kyuubi leaned forward, his lips only a breath away from Sasuke's. "And do you intend to follow through?" he questioned, his voice deep with desire.

A thrill raced up Sasuke's spine, and he deliberately wrapped his arms around Kyuubi's shoulders. "As always," he replied breathily.

In a heartbeat, Kyuubi's lips descended upon his, flooding him with fire chakra so intense that his senses began screaming. Moaning desperately, Sasuke moved to pull Kyuubi's kimono off his shoulders, hands scrabbling at the hard, hot flesh beneath. One of the fox demon's hands slid inside Sasuke's clothing as well, claws scraping his skin as yet more demonic chakra was sent violently through him. Sasuke ripped his lips away with a gasp, arching his back in pleasure.

Growling, Kyuubi roughly bit him under his jaw, then worked his way down the younger man's throat. Sasuke choked out a groan, his body hardening all over. As Kyuubi shifted more weight upon him, Sasuke parted his legs and bent his knees, framing the other man's hips and digging his toes into the soft earth beneath him. Both men groaned.

"Hirai…" Kyuubi whispered raggedly in his ear, tearing at the other demon's clothing. With each brush of his hands upon Sasuke's skin, the fire chakra shot through him. Sasuke jerked his hips upwards, eagerly assisting as much as his foreign-chakra-muddled mind would allow. Before he knew it, his bare back was laid against the soft grass, with his equally naked lover pressing against him. Sasuke threw his head back and moaned at the contact, his erection nearly crying out under the sensory assault.

"K-Kyuubi-sama!!" Nearly mindless with pleasure, Sasuke scrabbled at his lover's back, claws digging into the fox demon's skin. He received another possessive bite for his trouble, sharp teeth sinking into the tender skin between his neck and shoulder. Sasuke cried out.

Kyuubi murmured his name repeatedly, sliding one hand down the younger demon's side, ghosting it over his thigh, and then reaching beneath his balls. One finger, abruptly declawed, circled his entrance. The fire chakra caused the puckered muscles to tremble and relax, ripping another cry from Sasuke's lips, followed shortly by babbling pleas.

"Kyuubi-sama…Kyuubi-sama, _please_…oh, please, oh…_PLEASE!_"

With a muffled groan, Kyuubi lined himself up and pressed inside his lover, his demonic chakra easing the way. Sasuke let out a low whine that rose steadily in pitch, body arching as he clung to the man atop him. His body was so overwhelmed by sensation that he couldn't even be sure that he was breathing anymore, and as the other demon began to move, he was certain that he wouldn't live through the encounter, but oh it was _worth it_ and—

Gasping heavily, Sasuke's eyes abruptly shot open, staring unseeingly at the sunlit roof of the tent. His whole body was _aching_ with desire, and for a minute he didn't understand where he was or what he was doing. Eyes wild, he turned his head towards the demon next to him, whose red eyes had just snapped open as well. They stared at each other for a heartbeat.

In the next, Naruto was on top of Sasuke, lips pressing furiously against his as his claws made short work of the sleeping bag. Teflon and cotton went flying in the small space, soon to be followed by the front of Sasuke's shredded shirt. The Uchiha heir moaned desperately around the lips against his, head swimming with the feeling of demonic chakra swirling through him. He pawed frantically at Naruto's clothing, sliding a hand up the other man's shirt and gripping the skin beneath. Both men were breathing heavily, hands sliding everywhere as they rubbed together. They were both so close…

At the same moment, both men froze. Sasuke stared into huge, disbelieving blue eyes, horror working its way into his brain. He was… he was…with _Naruto??_

Sasuke let out a horrified cry, shoving upwards with abruptly chakra-laden hands. The blast enveloped the man above him, rocketing him up through the tent roof and ripping the entire tent out of the ground. Sasuke fell heavily on the still-sealed tent flaps as the contraption flipped on its side, slowly collapsing. Struggling for breath, he stared out the new hole in the roof.

Naruto landed only inches from the hot spring with a sickening _thud_. The fox demon groaned loudly, though he didn't sit up. As Sasuke jerkily freed himself from the deformed tent, they each pointed a finger at the other.

"I/YOU _KISSED_ YOU/ME!!!" they screamed together in absolute horror.

Sasuke stormed forward, grabbing the silver chain of the pendant necklace and holding the crystal as far away from his chest as it would go.

"Naruto, what the _fuck_ was that about?? It's one thing for me to get trapped in one of your dreams about being tortured, but to stick me in the body of your _fucktoy—_"

"Hirai was NOT a fucktoy!!" At that, Naruto finally sat up, his face red. "He was important to me, thank you very much, and if you think I'm _happy_ that I was apparently doing all of that stuff to _you_, you're insane!!"

"I didn't sign up to be a part of your gay fantasies!" Sasuke screamed. "I've had enough of this bullshit! I don't want _any_ of this!"

Disgusted and fighting off waves of panic, Sasuke tore at the necklace and forced it over his head. He gripped the crystal in his hand and pulled his fist back, prepared to throw it at the demon.

Naruto's expression changed.

Sasuke hesitated.

Naruto stared at Sasuke's fist, a frown of deep consternation on his face. His earlier anger seemed forgotten. "You're going to throw it away?"

Sasuke's hand quivered, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the cool stone. "I…"

"…Are you?" Naruto insisted, his voice dropping to a ragged whisper. Sasuke dropped his gaze guiltily and stiffly shook his head, lowering his hand.

"No, I… No, I'm not. I just…" Frustrated, the Uchiha heir ran a hand through his mussed hair. "This whole nonsense is killing me, Naruto! I don't know what your crazy powers are _doing_ to me!"

When the demon sighed loudly, Sasuke lifted his eyes. Naruto had propped his elbows on his knees and was digging his palms into his eyes.

"I don't understand it either, Sasuke," he replied wearily. "I really don't. This sort of thing hasn't happened once in the thousand years I've been enslaved."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fingers, pressing the sharp edges of the crystal into his palm. "Sometimes, that answer isn't really good enough, Naruto."

The blond man shook his head, face still buried in his hands. "I don't have another one for you."

Humiliation and residual arousal still seething within him, Sasuke stalked over to his pack and threw off the tarp. He dug within the contents his pack, angrily pulling out his weapon pouches. Behind him, the demon exhaled noisily.

"Sasuke, it's not like I _meant_ to include you in my…reminiscing. Try to imagine how _I_ feel. There I was, back with someone I cherished right before I lost everything…" He made a loud, disgruntled noise, waving a hand at Sasuke just as the younger man glanced over his shoulder. "And then the next thing I know, I'm on top of _you!_"

Sasuke turned away, his cheeks stained red. "I guess it was thoroughly unpleasant for _both_ of us, then."

Naruto grunted, but he didn't reply. Battling down his turbulent emotions, Sasuke scowled at his ruined shirt front and strapped several weapon sheaths to his chest and legs. The chain from the necklace clinked softly as he maneuvered, the pendant still clutched tightly in his fist. The crystal grew faintly warm, bringing with it a hint of Naruto's internal pain. Unbidden, Sasuke felt a miniscule wave a guilt slither through him.

Naruto had been in a war. His lover, as disturbing as the thought was, had probably been lost. His anger fading away, Sasuke ran his free hand over his brow and straightened.

"We should probably get going," he stated gruffly. When the demon lowered his hands and stared at him, Sasuke awkwardly shrugged his shoulders. "We'll just forget this whole morning happened, and move on. Deal?"

Shaking his head and placing a clawed hand against the nearby hot springs rocks, Naruto rose to his feet and moved towards Sasuke. His eyes were averted. "Sure. Whatever."

Sasuke rubbed his face. "Alright. Fine." The Uchiha steadfastly ignored the fact that he could feel the heat pouring off the demon beside him, invisible chakra teasing at his side. He schooled his expression. "I wish the tent…and my shirt, and our sleeping bags were fixed and packed away."

Naruto snorted. "Lazy." With a _zap_, Sasuke's shirt was repaired, the hole in the tent was gone, and the material folded itself over in the air, sleeping bags trapped inside, and strapped itself to Sasuke's backpack. The demon paused, staring up the mountain with a strange look on his face. The crystal gave an odd twinge in Sasuke's hand. "Say, before we go, do you mind if we check out that shrine? I didn't really get a good look at it."

The brunet eyed him suspiciously, but he shrugged anyway. If the blond was looking for a distraction, he could oblige. "Alright. It can't hurt, I'm sure. But only for a second." Sasuke hesitated, then awkwardly unfurled his hand and pulled the necklace back over his head. Shoulders tense, he hefted his pack. "Let's go."

"Mm." Smirking faintly, Naruto picked up his own pack and turned towards the trail to the abandoned shrine he'd spotted the night before. For some reason, this morning he felt a draw to it that hadn't been there when he'd gone hunting. It was like the ancient wood was resonating with him.

When Sasuke began glaring at him, Naruto shrugged and started walking up the trail. Their campsite lay forgotten behind them as they disappeared into the forest.

Neither noticed that the hot spring's waters were still, cool as a glacial stream.

* * *

Tsunade frowned at her thankfully clear desk, fingernails tapping against the dark wood. Ever since the boys had left on their trip, something had been niggling at the back of her mind. She just couldn't place it.

Whatever it was, it was driving her nuts. At this rate, Tsunade wouldn't be able to concentrate on her Hokage-related duties even if Shizune threatened to destroy her liquor supply!

_Tsk_ing her tongue in annoyance, Tsunade rose from her chair and strode over to the open window, where an unseasonably cold wind was blowing in. In less than two days, the temperature in Konoha had dropped significantly. Granted, the weather was always unpredictable, but it still gave her the feeling that she was _missing_ something. Scowling, she shut the window.

A short rap on the door was all the warning she had before it burst open. A towering stack of paperwork staggered in through the doorway. The horrible creature spoke in her protégé's voice as it lurched towards her desk.

"Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san asked me to bring you these," Sakura grunted. She set the paperwork down on the Hokage's desk and without looking up, continued, "And she said that if you try to run away, she'll chain you to the desk."

That halted the buxom blonde's sneaking progress towards the door. Tsunade tipped her head back and groaned.

"Why can't the interns do it? I don't have time to wade through all that!" she exclaimed, waving a hand at the now teetering pile of papers.

Sakura smiled sympathetically. "Most of them are from the Sand, and some are from the Council on that attack from Sound. Interns aren't equipped to go through this mess."

"And it'd all come back to me anyway," Tsunade agreed in resignation, returning to her chair. She took a sheet off the top, glowering at it. "It figures that ever since that blond nuisance showed up, everything went to hell in a handbasket."

Sakura blinked in surprise, snapping her fingers. "That's right, I meant to ask you about that. Have you seen little Kyuubi-chan around anywhere? I was hoping to take care of him while Sasuke-kun was on his mission, but I can't find him. None of the patrolling ninjas have seen him, either."

That little something in the back of Tsunade's head grew more and more persistent. Closing her eyes, she raised a hand to her temple.

"No, I haven't seen him. As a matter of fact, I only saw the fox once in the entire time Sasuke's had him."

"Hmm. I still think it's odd. I mean, I've never heard of a fox being born with _nine_ tails, and it'd be incredibly unusual for that kind of genetic mutation to take place, wouldn't it?" Sakura fingered a lock of her long, pink hair, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"A kind of polydactyl genetic abnormality…" Tsunade murmured, a headache blooming behind her shut eyes. "It's not…impossible."

"And it isn't really in Sasuke-kun's character to bond with an animal, is it? Even though Kyuubi-chan was sweet, Sasuke-kun didn't really seem to like him. Though I suppose he might have been a little unsettled after his brother showed up and attacked him—"

_God_, her head hurt. "Didn't someone report damage to the Uchiha main house that night?" she forced out between gritted teeth.

Sakura hesitated. "Yes, they did, Hokage-sama, but they must have been mistaken. There wasn't any damage the next morning when they did rounds. At least, not until some roof-hopping Genin threw a couple dozen shinai through Sasuke-kun's window." She sighed. "Maybe all the excitement led to Sasuke-kun bonding to Kyuubi-chan… Maybe the fox was hiding out in his backyard somewhere."

"Or in his house—" With those words, Tsunade felt like her skull had cracked open. She clutched at her aching head, fingers digging in as she moaned in pain. Dimly, she felt Sakura's hands clutching at her shoulders.

"Hokage-sama! Are you alright??"

_It was in his house. It showed up right after Uchiha Itachi allegedly destroyed the place. The building was fixed by the following morning. _ Oh, dear god. _Uchiha Sasuke, who has never bonded to anything or anyone, agreed to keep the thing, and even took it into battle. Then his so-called "cousin" showed up, who shared an odd link with Sasuke._ It wasn't possible._ They both went on a mission that I shouldn't have sent the cousin on, and yet I gave him permission. Now the fox is gone._

Face gone white, Tsunade slowly lifted her head and stared at her concerned protégé. "It's not possible…" she muttered unthinkingly.

Sakura's brow furrowed. "What's not possible?"

The Hokage shook her head, rising unsteadily to her feet. "Tell Shizune that something important has come up. I'll get to the paperwork later." She moved to the still-open door to her office, deftly avoiding the hand that grasped at her arm.

"But, Hokage-sama, where are you going?"

Tsunade paused at the door, staring grimly into the empty hallway.

"To the archives."

* * *

Naruto gracelessly shrugged off his pack when they reached the clearing in front of the dilapidated shrine, leaving it outside the stone _torii_. Two indistinguishably worn statues framed either side of the entrance to the shrine's grounds. Curious, Naruto placed a hand upon one, feeling the rough, cool stone beneath his fingertips. As he'd felt earlier, something within the stone gave a faint pulse towards him, but he couldn't place the feeling. Naruto frowned.

Sasuke stopped beside him, fingering the straps of his own pack impatiently. "What was it that you wanted to see? We don't exactly have a lot of time to waste."

"I know, I know," Naruto murmured. He turned towards the few remaining pieces of the wood building that once stood at the center of the grounds, hesitant to cross the line represented by the stone _torii_. This place, overlooking the volcanic mountains and valleys of the Fire Country, seemed so oddly familiar to him. It was as if he'd misplaced something important…

"_Naruto_…"

The clear irritation in the Uchiha's voice snapped Naruto out of his contemplation. He grinned over his shoulder at the other man, waving a hand dismissively.

"Alright, alright. I'll just take a closer look, and then we can go."

He stepped through the high stone gate, crossing into the shrine's ancient grounds.

And dropped to his knees.

"_Kyuubi-kami-sama…"_

"_Oh Great Kyuubi-kami-sama, that you might grace us with your presence—"_

"_Please bring us a bountiful harvest, Kyuubi-kami-sama!"_

"_I wish for warmth for my family throughout the terrible winter, and food for our tables."_

"_The Great—"_

"—_the Powerful—"_

"—_the Magnificent Kyuubi-kami-sama!"_

With a mighty roar, Kyuubi clenched his fists, bowed his back, and exploded with red chakra. A giant, swirling tornado of chakra swirled around him, painting him with the red demonic streaks in his hair and on his skin that had been present in the hot springs. The ground began to shake, small rocks lifting into the air as power began to accumulate around the roaring demon.

Startled, Sasuke stumbled backwards, but an invisible barrier stopped him before he'd moved more than a few steps away. The crystal on his chest began trembling violently, spewing red light like a volcano. As Sasuke watched in shock, the crystal rose up into the air as well, pointing straight at the fox demon.

Kyuubi slowly rose to his feet within the tornado, head bowed. "**It's all gone.**"

Words caught in Sasuke's throat, leaving him mute.

"**Everything I had. The kingdom, the people, the respect. I was **_**worshipped**_** here. Worshipped as a GOD!**"

Several boulders broke free from the ground and shattered, flinging shrapnel into the air. Sasuke brought an arm up to shield his face, his heart thundering in his chest. The power leaking from the demon was pounding at him, at the earth, at _everything_.

"**And because I went missing for so long, because my magic was contained, it faded from the shrine. It faded from the land. **_**I**_** faded from **_**EXISTENCE!**_" In his rage, Kyuubi stormed into the center of the shrine's grounds and lifted his head. "**I will be forgotten no longer! This is MY land!** **MINE AND MINE ALONE!!**"

Kyuubi slowly lifted his hands. As his hands rose, the entire mountain began to tremble, as did the next, and the next. A thunderous gurgling noise sounded from all of the hot springs in the area, deafening until several stone faces on the nearby mountains cracked open. Heat and steam rushed towards the chakra tornado from all sides, and the ground beneath the fox demon's feet ruptured. Lava came spitting fitfully out of the crack beneath Kyuubi's feet, its red energy immediately absorbed by the powerful demon. As the lava's heat was absorbed, it formed a smooth black surface that rose steadily, creating a large black pedestal beneath Kyuubi's feet and lifting him into the air. The wind howled as it was forced to bend around the monstrous red chakra.

As he rose, Kyuubi finally, slowly, lowered his hands. The tower of chakra began to dip inwards, funneling into the demon from the top down. As Kyuubi stood, all of the power held by the surrounding mountains streamed into him as if the demon were a vacuum. The trees surrounding the shrine bent inwards from the force of the winds. Gradually, the tower diminished until it was a thick red mass swirling around his feet, and then it, too, was absorbed.

For a tense moment, everything was still.

Kyuubi stiffened his shoulders.

And a shock wave exploded from him, knocking down the nearby trees and nearly throwing Sasuke off the flattened area atop the mountain. The shock wave echoed throughout the mountains, startling thousands of birds into the air, and continued in a visible ripple out into the horizon. There was a pause, in which Sasuke dazedly contemplated getting up.

A second shock wave followed, this one full of an unfathomable amount of power and magic. The trees stood back up, the worn statues reshaped themselves, and the ancient wood of the shrine reassembled itself, quickly and noisily growing into a tremendous building, complete with ornate carvings of Kyuubi in both his humanoid and fox forms. The shattered boulders became thousands of tiny fox statues that littered the ground in front of the newly rebuilt shrine. Sasuke watched from his position on the ground, unable to breathe or speak. The demon before him was even more powerful than he could have ever imagined, more than he could have dreamed possible.

As the shrine finished rebuilding itself, Kyuubi finally turned towards his companion. Violet eyes locked onto midnight black.

And for a moment, Sasuke was lost.

* * *

Beyond the shrine, the pulse of magic crashed into the dormant trees, rocks, streams, and air, startling awake the ancient spirits that lived there. The pulse carried on, through the mountains, over hills and deep into valleys, dipping into every nook and cranny in the Fire Country. As it reached the edges of the Fire Country on all sides, it began to taper out, spreading like a thin liquid over water, over plains, and through the surrounding countries.

Far, far in the distance, Shukaku had stepped outside for a brief respite from his deathly irritating masters. The pulse of familiar chakra washed over him, energizing him, and brought an unprecedented hint of a smile to his face. He lifted his own hands, and wind rushed into him from across the sands.

"It's good to have you back, Kyuubi-sama," he murmured. Gathering his energy, he sent his own pulse back to the Fire Country, rocking the Kazekage's palace on its foundations. He smirked as screams began to issue from within. "Our time will come again."

* * *

In his dimly lit study, Orochimaru shifted eagerly through a series of attack plans for Konoha. Although the village had grown stronger, his minions were more than capable of sneaking in and tearing the Leaf down from the inside out. All he needed was to choose a select few to begin planting the seeds.

That fool, Temae, had already been disposed of, but at least the young man had imparted some curious information before he passed. This blond ninja that he spoke of… Orochimaru restrained a malicious grin. **They** had been terrified throughout the entire report, visibly shaking whenever the young man was mentioned. This "Naruto," for whatever reason, was responsible for the first break in torment that Orochimaru had experienced in decades.

He had to have him. Whatever it took, the boy would be his.

As he moved to set down the documents, a wave of chakra slammed into him, forcing him to cry out. The chakra raced along his skin like a series of knives, scraping against him painfully. Orochimaru lurched to his feet, hands scrabbling at his clothes in a desperate attempt to relieve the sensation.

_Known, yet unknown. Familiar, yet unfamiliar._ A voice was whispering soundlessly, thunderously, in the back of his head. _We know this._

Orochimaru screamed, digging his fingers into his temples. The voices in his head grew louder, speaking in words he both understood and couldn't comprehend, battling each other for dominance as that strange chakra continued to crawl unpleasantly over his skin. He twisted violently back and forth, fighting the pain that pounded between his temples.

A new sound broke him momentarily out of his anguish, and he forced his eyes open. The dark creatures in his study had all frozen, staring at him with fathomless eyes. As one, they opened their mouths.

And shrieked.

The high-pitched noise drove the tall man to his knees, fingers drawing blood as they dug reflexively into his skin. In a flash, the creatures were upon him, tearing violently at his clothes, at his flesh. Crying out in pain, he struggled to pull away from their sharp claws and ended up curling into a tight ball. The creatures tore at his arms and hair, shouting at him in a horrific tongue that made his ears ring. All the while, the voices in his head were shouting senselessly, nearly blocking out his thoughts.

There was no one to help him. No one to stand beside him to battle these things away from him. There never was, not even when he had those so-called "friends." He was going to be torn apart, forgotten, and no one would even mourn his passing!

When Orochimaru forced a damaged eye open, he saw that the blood he was shedding had formed a large, perfect circle around him. The creatures began laughing, fisting their small hands in his torn flesh and pulling down. His eye opened even wider as he felt his hand press hard against the blood-stained floor…and pass through it.

Suddenly, as if he'd always held the knowledge somewhere within him, Orochimaru understood perfectly. He knew what **they** were.

They were demons from the underworld.

And they were dragging him back to hell.

The voices in his head went quiet at the realization, and Orochimaru watched in numb shock as his wrist disappeared. The demons were laughing gaily, tightening their grip upon him. They were _laughing_.

Unbidden, something surged within Orochimaru's center, a pulse of dark power that snapped out of him like a whip. Stung, the demons relinquished their hold upon him. Breathing heavily, Orochimaru dragged himself unsteadily to his feet. The demons hissed at him and moved to take hold of him again.

Orochimaru's mouth opened, and several unfamiliar voices stated, "**No**."

The demons froze.

"**We're not going back there. Not now.**" Orochimaru's wounded body began trembling violently as his mind spun in fear. _Who the hell are these voices?? Where are they coming from?_ he questioned desperately. "**We have work to do.**"

The demons made some sort of angry protest, tugging at his shredded clothing. Orochimaru's lips turned down into a fierce scowl, and he flung a hand at the dark creatures. Black chakra raced from his fingertips, scorching them. Screaming, they pulled away from him and backed away, fathomless eyes wide with surprise and hate. Orochimaru kept his hand towards them.

"**Be gone!!**"

Hissing and scowling, the underworld's demons sank into the ground and vanished. A tacit promise to return hung threateningly in the air. After a moment, the dark energy fled Orochimaru's body, leaving him hurt, shaking, and empty. He dropped immediately to his knees and wrapped his arms around his chest, then bowed his head forward.

Alone in his study, with no more strange voices or chakra within him, Orochimaru resorted to an emotional display he hadn't succumbed to since he was an infant.

He trembled, and shook, and even allowed a single sob of fear to escape.

* * *

Sasuke stared at Kyuubi from his kneeling position on the ground, his mind racing. The level of power he'd just witnessed was beyond anything he could fathom. Kyuubi shouldn't even _exist_, his power was so incredible. Even knowing what he did about the demon, he was _still_ underestimating him. Sasuke noted idly that his hands were shaking, and he placed them gingerly upon the ground.

Wordlessly, Kyuubi stepped off the volcanic pedestal he'd created, chakra buffering his feet as he landed. He walked cautiously over to Sasuke, violet eyes filled with an indiscernible emotion. After a few minutes of gazing at each other, Kyuubi lifted a hand. Sasuke flinched involuntarily.

"**Don't worry**," Kyuubi remarked dryly. His violet eyes dropped ruefully to the gold ring on his left hand. The metal was glowing fiercely, stripping off red chakra in waves. "**My little power boost won't last for much longer. I should be back to normal in a few minutes.**"

"…Normal," Sasuke managed. His mind was still reeling. "How the hell did you ever manage to get enslaved?" he blurted.

Kyuubi blinked at him, then laughed. "**A good question. Still, this is what happens when you go against someone more powerful than yourself.**"

"More powerful than you."

"**Indeed.**"

The Uchiha heir stared at him. "How on earth did you manage to find someone more powerful than you are?? How powerful _are_ you?"

"Mm. Once upon a time, I could've brought this whole mountain to the ground." Wincing, Kyuubi began to shake his hand lightly. His eyes faded to red. "I certainly thought I was unbeatable."

Carefully, Sasuke rose to his feet. "I can imagine why," he replied, a note of dumbstruck awe lurking within his tone. "I'm having trouble fathoming whom you must have gone up against."

"Well, the rambunctious can always find trouble, wherever it may be." Kyuubi sighed, folding his arms over his chest. He paused as a faint pulse of chakra hit him in reply, and he closed his eyes in regret. "I just wish that I alone had been punished."

To stop the faint trembling of his hands, Sasuke brushed himself off and mulled that comment over. "Are you saying that there are other genies?"

Kyuubi nodded. "Seven of them."

"Eight of you total, then." Sasuke shook his head. "Were the others as powerful as you are?"

The fox demon chuckled. "Not as strong as me, no, but very powerful in their own right." He tipped his head back, mostly blond hair waving in the breeze. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other, obviously. I wonder if they had any better luck with their masters than I've had with mine."

Sasuke frowned as he tucked the cooling crystal necklace under his shirt. "At least I haven't been that bad."

Naruto grinned. "No, no, you haven't. You've been surprisingly good to me, actually. It makes me glad that I've stopped trying to put you out of commission."

"Put me out of commission?" the brunet repeated, eyes narrowing.

"Well, yeah." Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "With the whole tree toppling thing at first, and that episode where you were dumb enough to wander into my mind—"

"The tree." Sasuke glared at his companion, suspicion and anger building. "Are you referring to the giant tree that nearly crushed me when we first met?"

"Yup. I figured if I put you into a coma, I'd be free to do whatever I wanted until you…" Naruto's cheerful voice trailed off at the venomous look in Sasuke's eyes. He smiled weakly, rubbing a hand behind his head. "Hey, at least I wasn't trying to _kill_ you, right? And you escaped without a scratch."

"Naruto…" Sasuke growled.

The blond demon coughed. "Anyway, I like you now, so…you know. No harm done, and all that." Flashing Sasuke an overly bright smile, he snatched up his pack and swung it onto his back. "Shall we go?"

When the blond passed him and started descending the stone stairs leading to the shrine, Sasuke fell into step behind him. Now that the shock over the demon's stunning display of power was fading, awkwardness from the morning's catastrophe began settling in. Frowning disconcertedly, Sasuke ran his fingers over the straps of his pack.

"…You like me," he repeated dubiously. Before him, Naruto shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Well, yeah. You're tolerable, at least."

Sasuke shifted his gaze to the side. "Then you really do like…men."

At that, Naruto glanced over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

_God, are we really having this conversation?_ "You're actually…gay." When Sasuke received a blank stare, he cleared his throat and tried again. "You enjoy sleeping with men."

"Oh. That." Naruto shrugged dismissively. "Who doesn't? I like a good, soft and curvy lady as much as the next guy, but it doesn't compare when you're in the mood for—why are you looking at me like that?"

Sasuke was staring incredulously at the blond demon. "You _admit_ it?? You actually like doing _that sort of thing_ with other men??"

Obviously confused, Naruto laughed. "What, like that isn't done anymore?"

"No! It's not!"

The demon stopped dead in his tracks. Eyes wide, he gaped at the younger man in something akin to horror. "Are you telling me that men don't sleep with other men anymore??"

To his dismay, a faint flush crept up Sasuke's cheeks. He gritted his teeth and stomped ahead. "_No_, they _don't!_"

"But… But this is _Japan!_ Men have always… I mean, it wasn't like it got in the way of procreation or anything! Why…" He spluttered noisily, then shook his head. "I can't believe it. The modern era _sucks!_"

Sasuke steadfastly refrained from replying, his cheeks still red. _Then all of that flirting before… Good god, he may have been serious._

As if he'd read his mind, Naruto quickened his step so that he could look Sasuke in the eye. "That explains why you got so freaked out whenever I made those comments! Look, Sasuke, I can tell you with complete honesty that I never had my eye on you, alright?"

The Uchiha heir glared at the trail ahead of them. "And I'm supposed to believe you? You _kissed_ me!"

"Hey, that was an accident, and you know it!" Naruto scowled. "And just because I enjoyed it doesn't mean I'm going to jump you or anything!"

Sasuke nearly tripped down the stairs, his head snapping to the side. "You _enjoyed it??_"

The blond huffed in annoyance. "Yes, I did. You happen to taste very good. And besides, you liked it, too!"

"I DID NOT!"

"Oh come on, Sasuke, I was _there_. Not only did you enjoy yourself," he began, leaning forward to sniff pointedly at the brunet, "but I can smell your attraction to me right this very minute. You're pumping out pheromones like you think you're going to die if you don't get lai—"

"Shut UP!" Embarrassed, Sasuke threw a punch at Naruto's face, then scowled when the blond managed to dodge. "I _am NOT_ attracted to you!"

"Oh, no?" Quick as lightning, Naruto's hand darted out and gripped Sasuke's bare forearm. Red chakra raced into him from the point of contact, bringing Sasuke's recently tortured body right back to the edge. With a gasp, he wrenched himself away and instinctively cradled his arm against his chest.

"Naruto, what the _fuck?_"

The blond demon smirked triumphantly. "My chakra wouldn't be spilling into you like that if you weren't interested. You used to block me, you know." Grinning with too many teeth, he stepped closer. "Now that you know what it's like, you want _more_."

Sasuke clenched his jaw tightly. Although it was faintly, _faintly_ possible that power had always been a bit of a turn-on for him, it didn't mean that he actually wanted to _sleep_ with Naruto! The very thought made him ill!

Eyes narrowed, Sasuke hissed, "Just because my body responds to your ludicrous amounts of chakra, it doesn't mean that my standards have dropped any. I have more sense than to be attracted to an idiotic, crude, happy-go-lucky faerie wanna-be who, despite his insane amounts of power, managed to get turned into a human's _plaything!_"

Silence greeted Sasuke's declaration. Naruto's normally open expression hardened, his eyes gone cold and flinty.

"That's good to know," he replied icily. "Because fucking a cold-blooded Uchiha bastard is very far down on my to-do list."

With that, he leapt into the woods beside the trail and vanished, leaving a seething Sasuke behind.

* * *

After two hours of leaping fruitlessly through the trees, Sasuke was ready to kill Naruto. The blond hadn't even left a chakra trail behind him this time because all of the trees in the area now had the faint imprint of his energy from that shock wave. The demon could be anywhere, and Sasuke had no way of knowing. His hands methodically clenched and unclenched in a fruitless attempt to release his rapidly mounting frustration.

When an arrow shot by, narrowing missing his head, Sasuke decided that he might as well write the whole damn day off.

The Uchiha heir slid his hand stealthily into a pouch on his leg, hooking his fingers into several kunai. He landed quietly, peering through the trees.

"Oi! Ninja-person! We know you're in there!" a rough, deep voice yelled into the forest. Several men in ratty clothing advanced into the forest, some with drawn arrows and others plainly fingering their knives. Bandits. Behind them, on an overgrown dirt road, several more bandits on bounty-laden horses held guns openly. Sasuke mentally groaned.

Bandits weren't just annoying, they were a political nightmare. Killing men from another country, regardless of the reason, was often all the excuse said countries needed to go to war. If Sasuke were to fight, he would win, but he would most likely sustain some injuries, _and_ he'd have to find a way of disposing of their bodies. He tucked a shinai into his shirt, closed the pouch, and quickly cast an illusion over himself to look, he hoped, like an average traveler.

Of course, that would probably lead them to try and rob him, but it was better than being attacked outright.

Warily, Sasuke made his way out of the forest and onto the road, his hands up. "Were you speaking to me?"

Immediately, all of the guns and arrows were pointed at him. The bandit who'd spoken before, a large, hulking man with the distinctive red hair of the River Country, stepped towards him. He brandished a sword at Sasuke.

"You might not look it, but you're a ninja-man, aren't you!" he growled out. "I can smell your type a mile away. Thinking of stealing our goods, I'll bet!"

Sasuke did his best to look puzzled, though he doubted he looked anything but faintly murderous. "Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered truthfully. "I'm a simple traveler, that's all."

One of the arrow-wielding bandits spat on the ground. "Sure. And that's why you were avoiding the road like all decent folk do!"

"Just trying to avoid trouble," Sasuke replied. It was true enough, even if it hadn't worked. He certainly couldn't say that he was trying to avoid bandits while attempting to catch up with his runaway genie.

The large, red-haired bandit snorted. "Sure. And you just so happened to find it anyway." His blue eyes narrowed. "We don't much like you ninja-folk. I think we'll all feel a mite safer if we just put you out of our misery."

Gun barrels were cocked, bows whined as they were drawn, and knives flashed in the morning sun. Sasuke's fingers twitched.

"I'm not a ninja." He fought desperately to keep from scowling, though he knew that his expression was hardening rapidly. "I don't want to fight."

"This sure ain't your day, then."

As they slowly advanced, Sasuke began to inch his hands closer together, readying his chakra for a quick teleportation jutsu.

"Sasuke-kun! Saaasukeee-kuuuuuun!"

A sudden, bubbly voice distracted the entire group, heads turning seconds before a blonde girl came crashing through the forest. She ran unsteadily on a pair of heeled sandals to Sasuke's side, her light blue sundress flaring up around her thin, shapely legs. Winding her slender arms around one of Sasuke's, she pressed her disproportionately large bosom against him and peered up at Sasuke with pouting lips.

"Sasuke-kun, you meanie! How could you leave me back there all alone!" she cried, blue eyes filled with distress. Her twin ponytails bobbed as she buried her face in a frozen Sasuke's chest. "I was so scared!"

Sasuke stared down at the girl, words failing him. In his peripheral vision, he saw the arrows and guns pointed at him hesitantly lower themselves. The girl lifted her face again, her whiskered cheeks flushed prettily.

"I know I'm just a silly girl," she sniffled daintily, "and I know that I can't keep up with you, but couldn't you have slowed down just a little?"

When Sasuke failed to reply, the redheaded bandit awkwardly cleared his throat. "Ah, Miss? Do you know this man?"

The girl turned, noticing the crowd of avidly staring men with clear apprehension. She tightened her grip on Sasuke's arm and moved to stand slightly behind him. With a short nod, she shyly ducked her head.

"Yes," the girl replied quietly. "He's my cousin. He's taking me to our relative's house."

The redheaded man shared a look with the other bandits, then cleared his throat again. "He's, ah. Isn't he a ninja?"

"A ninja?" Her head tilted to the side, ponytails tilting as her cherubic face took on an adorably puzzled expression. "Are they really real?"

The bandits nodded slowly. Lips pursing attractively, the girl looked up at Sasuke's face. Deep within her eyes, a spark of mischief lingered.

"Sasuke-kun, you're not a ninja, are you?" she asked innocently.

The stoic brunet forced himself to shake his head. Naruto. Was female. A very cute, very well-shaped female. His mental processes ground to a halt.

Naruto was currently female.

The world as Sasuke knew it had finally come to an end.

Giggling, Naruto clutched at him and pressed the length of his—her—body against Sasuke's, lifting one sandaled foot off the ground.

"Silly me, I know you're not a ninja. You'd have told me by now!" Smiling brightly, she turned towards the bandits. "See?"

With a flurry of guiltily shifting eyes, the bandits put their weapons away. A blue-haired bandit, as he quickly sheathed his knife, blurted, "But then why was he traveling in the woods instead of on the trail?"

Sasuke's tongue finally came unglued and he glowered, gesturing vaguely at the demon at his side.

"With her along? Do you see why I didn't want any trouble?" After a moment, he forced himself to extract his arm and place it protectively around her shoulders. "And I still don't."

Naruto blinked innocently, bringing a manicured hand to her lips with a quiet gasp. "Oh, these nice men wouldn't try to hurt us. Right?"

All of the men visibly melted. Sasuke's eyes burned from the need for him to roll them. _Well, now they sure as hell won't._

"No, no, of course not," the redheaded bandit assured them. "We're just, uh, making sure the roads are safe for pretty young ladies like you."

Naruto blushed becomingly and ducked her head. "Oh no, I'm not pretty at all. All of my sisters are beautiful. I'm just…me."

All of the bandits vehemently shook their heads. A chorus of "No, you're very pretty!" filled the air. Naruto's blush deepened, and she gingerly bit her lip.

"You're all so kind…" she murmured sweetly.

Sasuke wanted to gag.

"As a matter of fact," the redheaded bandit—the leader, Sasuke presumed—continued, "maybe we should escort you to your relative's house. You know, just in case you run into some unsavory types in the forest."

The other bandits eagerly voiced their assent. Naruto brought her hands together and stared at her twiddling thumbs.

"Oh, but I'm sure it'd be so far out of your way…" The blonde shook her head sadly. "That's far too kind. We couldn't possibly…"

Sasuke couldn't credit the degree of hopefulness in the blue-eyed gaze that was turned upon him. He grimaced.

"No. I'm sorry."

The bandits were glaring at him now.

"Surely there's something we can do for you," the leader insisted.

Naruto's twiddling thumbs increased their pace. "Well…"

"Yes?" Several bandits leaned forward eagerly.

Angelic blue eyes glanced up at them through thick, blonde lashes. "I don't suppose…you can share any food? We're really low on rations because…I'm afraid I eat too much…" Naruto requested in a tiny voice.

The bandits began to smile. One of them replied, "A tiny thing like you? I doubt it."

Another waved his arm in the air. "I have chocolate!"

Naruto hesitated, eyebrows furrowing cutely. "…Chocolate?"

Sasuke stiffened beside the demon. Chocolate hadn't been introduced to Japan until World War II, and with Naruto being trapped away in his mini-shrine in the Uchiha household…

Naruto looked around in confusion. "What's chocolate?"

One or two bandits laughed. "You don't know what chocolate is?" one asked disbelievingly.

Naruto pouted. "I've never had it. Please don't make fun of me."

The bandits stopped laughing. Even the leader cleared his throat. "Miss, you really haven't ever had chocolate before?"

When Naruto shook her head, the leader immediately gestured for the chocolate-bearing bandit to come forward. He swiped the proffered candy bar out of the younger man's hand and held it out with an obsequious smile.

"Go ahead, young miss. Try it!"

Naruto hesitated, glancing at Sasuke, whose face was set in stone. Gingerly, she took the candy bar, sniffed it delicately, and carefully unwrapped it. After a second hesitation, she took a tiny bite.

A pause.

Moments later, a sinful moan worked its way out of her throat, blue eyes closing rapturously. The blonde tipped her head back.

"It's…it's…" she stated huskily. The men leaned forward, gazing intently at her.

"It's what?" one of them choked out.

"…A_ma_zing…" Naruto moaned. She took another bite, and another, making blissful noises and enraptured faces. "Oh my god…"

Sasuke briefly closed his eyes.

Now the bandits would _never_ leave.

* * *

Naruto fought to keep from laughing, delight shining in his eyes as he gratefully accepted food and sweets from the eager bandits. The men practically fell all over themselves to help the disguised demon. In return, he flashed a sweet, girlish smile at them. They melted.

_Stars, I'd forgotten how much fun it was to enchant human men._ With a small giggle, he clutched the food packets to his exaggeratedly ample chest. His breasts, predictably, were pushed up against the neckline of his sundress. Every male eye—except Sasuke's, the cold-blooded bastard—was riveted.

"Boys, boys!" he exclaimed, laughing. His breasts bounced. "I can't carry any more!"

When the bandits all began protesting, Naruto fluttered his eyelashes. They quieted.

"Really, boys, you've all been so kind, but we have to go," he murmured. He glanced over at Sasuke, whose arms were also reluctantly laden with foodstuffs. The brunet glared at him. "Sasuke-kun, why didn't you tell me there would be so many wonderful people on the road?"

Sasuke simply scowled in reply. The bandit leader chuckled, moving closer to Naruto's side and bending in conspiratorially.

"That's because some of the men out here aren't as nice as we are," he whispered. Naruto let out a naïve-sounding gasp. The leader laughed again and straightened. "And we're sorry about being suspicious of your cousin, here. Ain't our fault, though."

One of the other bandits piped up. "We wouldn't'a been so certain if we hadn't met a feller just like 'im only yesterday!"

Shifting the food in his arms, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "A man just like me?"

"Yeah! Looked like you and ever'thing!"

Naruto's blood ran cold, and he shot a glance at his companion. Sasuke's face had gone white. The demon cleared his throat.

"Ah… A man who looked like Sasuke-kun?"

The bandit nodded. "Bit older than 'im, but the spittin' image!"

Naruto's fingers clenched involuntarily on his hard-won food. A low growl emanated from the man at his side.

"_Itachi_."


	15. He Had It Coming

**Author's note:** Sorry about the wait again. This chapter was a logistical nightmare because I unintentionally bit off more than I could chew at the end of the last chapter. Itachi wasn't originally going to show up. He did. And everything I had planned for this chapter went out the frigging window, lol. With a lot of pacing, moping, and borrowing the ear of a few friends who thankfully didn't kill me after yammering away about plot for an hour or two (Sorry, Diana. I love you!!), I managed to get a plot hammered out for this chapter.

The, uh, plot was a lot shorter in my head than it turned out to be on paper. 40 pages and severe mental trauma later...

Well, at least you get a long chap to somewhat make up for the long wait! (sweatdrop)

Love you all. Very much.

By the way, I'm thinking of trying an incentive program or something to keep me writing when RL sucks. Anyone interested in fanart/fanfic trades, please let me know!

Enjoy.

P.S. Mini-recap: Naruto and Sasuke had a fight after Naruto went through another power-up, and Naruto ran off in a funk. While chasing after him, Sasuke ran into bandits. Naruto popped in to save his butt by pulling out Naruko and wooed them all with fox charm. Then, Sasuke found out that they'd seen Itachi only the day before. Cue next chap.

* * *

_Crap, crap, crap, crap. _Naruto hurried after the enraged brunet ahead of him, frantically collecting the packages of food that Sasuke had dropped and awkwardly piling them on top of his still-plump bosom.

Upon hearing news of the elder Uchiha brother, Sasuke's ability to reason seemed to have jumped ship entirely. He'd started yelling at the bandits, pressuring them for details so aggressively that Naruto had been forced to seriously turn up the charm just to keep them from killing him. As it was, the bandits had been grumbling as they went on their way, and Sasuke was so frustrated by the lack of information aside from "He went thattaway" that he was crashing through the forest with all the finesse of a newborn elephant, at least as far as Itachi's senses would be concerned.

As for Naruto, everything about this situation rankled. The very last thing he wanted was to run into Itachi with Sasuke in tow. The younger brother was completely unprepared, and Naruto was ill-equipped to deal with Sasuke's lack of preparation. If Sasuke stampeded his way into this fight, bolstered by the knowledge that he had a powerful demon at his side, the Uchiha heir was going to be in for a very nasty surprise. Sasuke didn't know that the three of them would be a very, very poor mix. Naruto stood a high chance of losing him, which would seriously put a damper on the whole "slavery isn't sucking much this time" deal. Plus, despite Sasuke's best efforts lately, Naruto really didn't want to see him dead, dying, or maimed.

All Naruto had to do was tell Sasuke to stay away from his brother. And not get his face broken while he was at it.

Or worse, get his chocolate taken away.

"Now, Sasuke," he tried in what he hoped was a soothing voice, "just calm down. Rushing after Itachi is a bad idea, and you know it." He shook his head to swing a blonde pigtail away from his teetering pile of sweets.

His master snapped his head to the side and glared at Naruto through the corner of his Sharingan-heavy eyes. The currently-female demon smiled nervously, a bead of sweat trickling down his back.

"They said he was heading towards Sand. _Towards Sand_. We are less than a day behind him," the Uchiha heir rasped between tightly clenched teeth. Breathing heavily, he whipped his head forward again and continued crashing through the forest. "Less than a _day_ behind that _bastard_."

"Yes…" _Less than a day isn't nearly far enough away. Damn it all. _With a careful eye on his hard-won goodies, Naruto leapt over a fallen log. "I can understand the temptation, but we _really_ should leave him alone this time. As in, _really_ really." The demon raised his gaze just in time to avoid a branch that was snapping back towards him. To his dismay, two bars of chocolate—heavenly, divine, _exquisite_ chocolate—tumbled to the ground. "Ah!"

Without warning, Sasuke spun around to face him, fists clenched and teeth bared. Naruto barely managed to keep from walking into him, and reflexively stumbled backwards.

"_Why_ would I want to leave him alone?" Sasuke demanded, a wild gleam in his furious eyes. "I have _you_ with me, don't I?"

The demon winced. "Well, yeah, but…" Unease crawling beneath his skin, Naruto glanced down at the fallen chocolate bars. _How should I break this to him_? "You, uh… You haven't really grown much as a fighter since the last time you saw him. I mean, we've only been together for a little over a week."

With a sharp inhalation, Sasuke paused. Before the younger man could speak, Naruto lifted his gaze and pressed forward. "You said you wanted to fight him on your own. Wouldn't it seriously tick you off if you lost and ended up needing me to step in and finish him?"

Sasuke scowled. "Of course it would. But the whole reason I released you was to gain the upper hand over Itachi! What _good_ are you if I can't use you??" Frustration escaped from him in a nearly inaudible hiss of breath. "Even _now_, I'm standing here arguing instead of finding him! Why are you getting in the way?!"

As the Uchiha heir turned to continue through the forest, Naruto felt a tiny sliver of panic lodge itself in his spine. This was the absolute _worst_ time for this conversation, but he had to stop him.

"Sasuke!" Desperate, Naruto dropped his food, changed back into his male form, and snagged the brunet by the elbow. "You don't understand. You _can't_ go after him right now!"

Sasuke snarled, ripping his arm away. The demon's ring pinched his finger in sympathy with his master's peaking fury. Naruto gingerly cradled his hand, wincing as Sasuke turned on him again. The demon's abrupt change of gender didn't even faze the younger man.

"_Why?_"

"Because…" _Fuckity fuck._ Closing his eyes, Naruto let out a slow breath through his nostrils. "If you confront him now, and you end up needing my help…" His shoulders hunched involuntarily as he reluctantly admitted, "I won't be able to help you."

A charged silence weighted the air between them. Finally, Sasuke replied in a low, cool voice, "What?"

That sliver of panic turned into a giant wooden stake of worry. Naruto opened his eyes, but he pointed his gaze firmly at the ground. The pair of feet in front of him suddenly seemed incredibly threatening.

"I won't be able to step in," he repeated. "I won't actually be able to go anywhere near you two."

Another charged silence that was quickly gathering electricity.

"Why?"

Naruto swallowed heavily. Trying to remind himself that he didn't cook up the rules, he sighed and raised his head.

"Because I never Chose between you two," he confessed. Naruto eyed Sasuke's inscrutable expression for a tense moment. "Technically, when you released me, I should have killed either you or your brother. I didn't."

Finally distracted from his knee-jerk rage, Sasuke frowned and narrowed his eyes at the demon. "Why should you have killed one of us? And besides, you're bonded to me. You chose me, right?"

"Um." Shifting his weight, Naruto placed a nervous hand behind his head and rubbed the nape of his neck. "Not…exactly. You two didn't do the ritual correctly. I'm supposed to be approached by two rivals, and when I bond with one, I kill the other." He waved his other hand in a vague circle. "Some ancestor of yours came up with that as a way to keep one line from gaining too much power over the branch families."

Comprehension flickered in Sasuke's eyes. The younger man's jaw tightened. "So you're saying that you're only bonded to me because I was present?"

"I…" He hesitated. "That was part of it, yeah. I was also weakened a lot from being confined for so long, and since I was in pain for most of those—" As memories slammed into him, Naruto shook his head and changed tack. "Your brother was far enough away when you released me that I was able to bond to you without killing him. But I didn't…Choose you."

Sasuke stared at him. "So what, exactly, are you saying? If you're forced to meet me and Itachi at the same time, you'll have to complete the ritual?"

Naruto grimly met his gaze and nodded. "I'll have to Choose one of you. The other one will die. And to be perfectly honest…" He paused, grimacing. "I don't know which of you I'll pick."

"You don't," Sasuke repeated flatly. "You only chose me in the first place because I was closer to you when you were probably desperate for release. Now you're telling me to avoid my brother, who's clearly superior to me, and you're telling me that you don't know which of us you'd pick to be your master?" His voice rose towards the end of the question, a bevy of emotions sneaking into his tone.

Guilt rose up within Naruto as he watched a hint of fear slip across the Uchiha heir's face. "That's not exactly what I'm saying."

"No?" Sasuke seemed to stare through him, fists opening and closing anxiously. His attention visibly turned inwards as he spat out, "That sounded an awful lot like you were telling me that I'm not supposed to be your master at all."

"That's not true!" Stepping forward urgently, Naruto clasped Sasuke's shoulders and forced the brunet to focus on him. "If you were obviously less worthy than Itachi, I would have Chosen him, and you'd be dead. The fact that I _could_ and _did_ bond with you means that at the very least, you're evenly matched!" When Sasuke still watched him doubtfully, Naruto gave his shoulders a little shake. "Even if you're a little less than evenly matched, the bond I share with you now vastly outweighs the bond I share with him. I sure as hell _like _you more than him. You, at least, are only a complete and total prick _some_ of the time. As far as I'm concerned, that tips the scales in your favor!"

Gradually, Sasuke's distrustful, faintly insecure expression melted into wry disdain. "So because I was nice to you, I get to keep you?" he scoffed.

Annoyed, Naruto began, "Well—"

"Wait. You share a bond with Itachi, too?" Sasuke cut in, eyes widening.

"Um…"

Outraged, Sasuke slapped Naruto's hands off his shoulders. "Then you probably knew where Itachi was this entire time!"

Naruto quickly stepped back, raising his hands defensively. "I didn't! It's very faint! I could probably tell you if he's North or South of here, but that's about it, I swear." Irritation rose up within him, and he planted his hands on his hips. "Look, Sasuke. I don't grant him any wishes. It doesn't matter if he's happy or sad or ticked off at me. Hell, most of the time, I'm barely aware that he _exists_. The ring currently recognizes _you_ as my master, not him."

Shaking his head, the demon bent down and began picking up his treats. "That's why I don't want you charging off to challenge him," he admonished. "I can't back you up without killing one of you, and even in the best case scenario of Itachi biting the dust, you'll be pissed at me for stealing your vengeance from you. And the way you are right now," he continued, straightening up and glaring, "you'll lose. If you're dead and he's nearby, I'll probably get stuck with him anyway."

Sasuke glowered at him, but since Naruto's ring stopped stinging, the demon figured the brunet had finally gotten a grip on himself.

"Only 'probably'?"

Sniffing a bar of chocolate, Naruto shrugged. "I can't say for sure what will happen. This is kind of a novel situation for me." His lips quirked into a smirk. "You're very unique, Sasuke."

The brunet huffed dismissively and folded his arms. "Right." Contemplatively, Sasuke tipped his head back and stared unseeingly at the sun-dappled canopy. "How am I supposed to be able to challenge him, then? I can't let this opportunity just slip away."

"Well," Naruto started, juggling a bag of potato chips in his loaded arms. "I could always train you."

Sasuke gave him a dry look. "We tried that already."

The demon scowled. "No, we tried you attacking me like an idiot. We never tried training." Feeling some relief at getting this uncomfortable news out into the open, Naruto stepped towards Sasuke and gazed at him solemnly. "I don't want you to lose, Sasuke, and I have no intention of becoming a slave to your asshole of a brother. I want the scales tipped so heavily in your favor that there's no way in hell I'd Choose him over you."

The younger Uchiha sibling stared at him for a long moment, then exhaled noisily. His eyes gleamed with determination. "Well then, what do you want me to do?"

Eyes narrowing with mischief, Naruto grinned.

* * *

Sasuke eyed Naruto warily as the demon strode confidently through the forest, humming a vague tune as he craned his blond head left and right. In the past, Naruto in a good mood, especially one that came on this abruptly, led to trouble for Sasuke. The younger man frowned.

"Naruto, what kind of training are you planning to put me through?" he questioned suspiciously. Naruto shot a grin at him over his shoulder.

"I've got an idea or two. It'll be a surprise." Winking, Naruto followed that eerie statement with, "I just need a clearing big enough."

"Hmm." Sasuke shifted the weight of his pack on his back. "I _am_ going to live through this, aren't I?"

"Killing you would be kind of retarded of me, wouldn't it?" Even though Naruto's back was to him, Sasuke could still sense his blue eyes rolling.

"With my dignity intact?"

That caused the demon to briefly pause. "I make no promises."

"I thought as much." Sasuke shook his head. He might be a fool to accept Naruto's dubious "training," but the demon's shocking words from before gave him little choice. How could Sasuke expect to defeat Itachi without any new techniques? His brother wouldn't know about Sasuke's association with the demon, and since Naruto couldn't be present—

That thought drew the Uchiha heir up short. _Did_ Itachi know that Sasuke had released Kyuubi? His brother clearly knew enough to search the house for him, even if he'd done it in a far clumsier method than he should have. In fact, Itachi's efforts were so inept that he might as well have painted a giant arrow on the wall hiding the entrance to Kyuubi's containment chamber. At the realization, Sasuke came to a complete stop, eyes widening.

Could Itachi have _meant_ for Sasuke to release Kyuubi? Did he intentionally get out of range for the Choosing ritual, or was he hoping that the demon would destroy his brother, thereby going to Itachi with no effort on his part?

_"The bond I share with you now vastly outweighs the bond I share with him."_

Itachi had to know. He must have known that Kyuubi was released from the beginning. Why not confront Sasuke when he lacked control? What was Itachi _waiting_ for?

Frustration simmered within his veins, and Sasuke found himself furiously grinding his teeth. His brother's actions made no sense. Was the man suicidal? Where did he get his information on Kyuubi in the first place?

"Oi! Duck-butt-head! Get a move-on!" Naruto called from somewhere up ahead, snapping Sasuke out of his ruminations. Rolling his eyes, he jogged to catch up.

Hell, for all he knew, Itachi was perfectly aware that he was the proper master of Kyuubi's fate, and he was just biding his time, waiting for Sasuke to completely humiliate himself before stepping in to finish him off and steal the genie. The idea forced a scowl onto Sasuke's aristocratic features, but the thought of Naruto's insubordinate attitude since his release made him tip his head in resignation.

Or perhaps, Itachi knew exactly what he'd be getting into, and realized that he wanted no part of it. Which, as always, left him several steps ahead of Sasuke. The brunet rubbed a hand over the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Inadequacy might as well be Sasuke's middle name.

A hand materialized in front on him, pressing against the center of Sasuke's chest and bringing him to a halt. After a moment, Sasuke lowered his hand and locked eyes with the living summation of everything that went wrong in the youngest Uchiha's life. For his part, Naruto simply lifted an eyebrow and gestured with his free hand.

"Found a spot. Are you going to stay with me, or are you just going to wander off?"

Sasuke glanced around, absently batting away the hand on his chest. Naruto had stumbled upon a large clearing with several large, white boulders dotting the area. The quiet burble of a stream on the far end of the clearing mixed with the whispering, long grass. A few of the boulders were cracked, leaving them conveniently flat on top. It looked like a Zen master's meditation paradise.

Grunting, Sasuke slipped off his pack and chose to ignore the blond's provocative comment.

"Now that we're here…" Sasuke frowned as Naruto bounded over to one of the flat boulders as dumped his treats atop it. The muscles in the blond's broad back bunched and flexed under his red shirt as he bent over. Although Sasuke hadn't focused on it in his fit of rage, he vastly preferred the male version of Naruto to the female. Somehow, seeing all of that power wrapped up in a slight, frail, vapid package just struck him as inherently wrong. Kyuubi no Kitsune was not meant to be a woman. _Although,_ he thought, tipping his head, _something's missing_. "Where the hell is your pack?"

"Oh, right." Reaching up, Naruto plucked a small clump of hair from behind his right ear and set it on the ground. In an instant, it turned into his pack. The demon glanced at Sasuke's blank stare and shrugged. "I got tired of carrying it. It's the same thing I do to my clothes when I turn into a fox, though that took a couple of tries to get right."

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest and leveled Naruto with a pointed glare. "And you've let me continue carrying mine because…?"

"Um. Because it was the beginning of your training, oh young one." Naruto's eyes grew shifty, but before Sasuke could continue his protest, the blond clapped his hands. "So! Shall we get on with it?"

The Uchiha barely restrained a groan. How the hell was he supposed to learn anything from this idiot? Maybe if Naruto switched to his Kyuubi personality, Sasuke stood a chance of learning something, but as it was, Sasuke strongly suspected that his "training" would consist of picking lint from between the demon's toes. Despite his reservations, Sasuke sighed.

"Fine. I don't have much to lose."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Naruto replied sarcastically. Hooking a hand under Sasuke's arm, he drew the younger man into the center of the clearing. "Okay. I've seen some of your moves before, so I think I've got a good grip on how you do things." Naruto released him, stepped back, and folded his arms, watching Sasuke avidly. "What's your best move?"

The brunet frowned, ignoring the impulse to rub the spot Naruto had grabbed. "My best move?"

"The one you're the most confident in. Your go-to move when things get dicey."

Sasuke's brow furrowed as he contemplated that thought. Mangekyou was his most powerful move, but he wasn't well-practiced at it, and it'd already proved to be disastrous against Kyuubi and useless against Itachi.

In light of that, he replied, "Chidori."

"Hmm. Alright." Rubbing a hand under his chin, Naruto took another step back. "Show me."

Sasuke's frown deepened. "You saw it when we were fighting those ninjas from Sound. Why do I need to show you? It'll suck up my reserves."

Naruto's eyes got that shifty look again. "Because I have an idea, and I want to see how you do Chidori up close before I go ahead with it."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but when Naruto gave him no indication of what he was thinking beyond awkwardly shifting his weight, the Uchiha sucked in a deep breath, bent his knees, and gripped his right arm at the elbow. Slowly, he forced his chakra into his right hand.

As the chakra collected, Sasuke felt the familiar rush of power that came with his most destructive attack. His skin felt like it was being stung by thousands of tiny needles, the blue chakra dancing and crackling over him like lightning. When the familiar screech filled the air, Sasuke peeled his attention away from his fist and smirked at the watching demon.

"With this," Sasuke stated slowly and deliberately, forcing his uncooperative jaw to move while attempting to contain the wild chakra, "I could put a hole through you."

Naruto's blue eyes sized up the formidable technique. "Yeah, you probably could. What happens when you release it?"

The bones in Sasuke's right arm were already beginning to sing, vibrating heavily under the strain of the Chidori. Unhesitatingly, Sasuke turned and drove his fist into the nearest boulder.

It exploded, showering the clearing with tiny white rocks.

Panting, Sasuke straightened up and shot a triumphant glance in Naruto's direction. The demon was frowning, lifting a hand to pick rock shards out of his hair.

"You could have warned me that you were going to do that," he grumbled. Sasuke simply smirked in response.

"Sorry," he replied with heartfelt insincerity.

Shaking his head, Naruto stepped forward and gingerly took Sasuke's arm. The Uchiha stiffened, suddenly wary of the flood of chakra that should be spilling into him at the contact. Although he tensed, however, he felt nothing more than a warm palm and fingers against his harried skin. He stared at the demon in surprise, but Naruto ignored him in favor of inspecting his arm.

"Okay…" Naruto mumbled. He ghosted his fingers over Sasuke's arm, releasing a faint amount of red chakra that instantly soothed the younger man's skin. Sasuke suppressed a shudder at the sensation, sternly admonishing his body to behave itself. To his immense relief, Naruto either didn't notice or, amazingly, choose to ignore Sasuke's reaction to his touch. The demon looked up at him, a serious glint in his eyes.

"How many of these attacks can you do in a day?" he questioned firmly.

Sasuke blinked. "Three. I'm close to being able to do four."

Naruto's mouth twisted. "That's about what I thought. I'm glad you chose this move to show me, because it sums up what I think your entire problem is."

Despite himself, Sasuke felt his hackles rising. "Oh?"

The demon ignored the faint warning in Sasuke's tone. "You treat your chakra like you've got an unlimited supply of it. You waste a lot of it in your moves. This one, especially."

Sasuke tugged his arm away and glowered. "That's the entire _point_ of the Chidori. It's not a move that's supposed to be used that often."

"Obviously not. It's slow to prepare, hard to maintain, and when you finally use it, you're tired, hurt, _and_ drained." Naruto shook his head. "All you can do is hope your opponent is dead when you're done."

"They usually are," Sasuke pointed out dryly.

Waving a hand dismissively, Naruto continued, "My point, though, is that you _don't_ have an endless supply of chakra. If you had better control, you could pull off most of your moves without wasting a drop. Instead, you spill it everywhere."

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "This from the guy who had a chakra orgasm all over the fire country."

Naruto sniffed in a poor attempt at snootiness. "Don't be crude. _I_ actually _do_ have an unlimited supply of chakra. I can do whatever I want with it and have more to spare. Which, ah, brings me to what I was going to suggest for you."

In the space of a few words, Naruto went from cool and confident to restless and anxious. Sasuke mentally prepared himself and folded his arms across his chest.

"What?"

"Well…" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Back when I borrowed control of your body to show you what I could do with it, which I'm totally sorry for, by the way, you told me that you didn't want to borrow power to defeat your brother."

When the blond stopped, Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a glare. "And?"

"Well, I was wondering just how clear-cut you are on that."

Unbidden, Sasuke lifted a hand to the scar on his neck. "Very."

Blue eyes flickered to the scar and back to the Uchiha's face. "Even if I promised that you'd always be in complete control, and you'd definitely have everything you need to defeat your brother?"

Sasuke frowned. "How so?"

Naruto rolled his tensed shoulders. "I think our bond has reached a point where, if you wanted me to, I could feed some of my chakra into you. Once it's there, you can do whatever you want with it, and I can guarantee you won't run out." He lifted his hands, palms up. "My chakra does pack a bit of a wallop. Itachi would have trouble dealing with any of your moves if you've got my chakra backing you up."

Discomfort shot through Sasuke for multiple reasons. Part of him balked at the very idea of willingly allowing anyone else more powerful than him free access to his chakra. The last time he'd allowed that, he turned on his village and nearly got himself killed. Another part of him secretly thrilled at the idea of owning and manipulating that fantastically powerful demonic chakra at will.

And another part of him was having a quiet panic attack over how his body might react to demonic chakra running through it. Thus far, Sasuke'd only managed to humiliate himself.

As if reading his mind, Naruto added, "Before I can do that, though, you need to have a much better grip on chakra control. If you can't properly manipulate what you've already got, what _I_ give you is going to completely overwhelm you."

Sasuke allowed himself to release some of his tension by tapping his fingers against his folded arms. "How do I know you won't use the chakra link to manipulate my body?"

"Because I already promised you I wouldn't." Naruto fixed Sasuke with a startlingly sincere gaze. "I won't do a thing with that chakra once you open the link. Think of it as that tool you've been looking for from me." As he warmed to the topic, Naruto grinned. "And since you're in full control of what you do with it, you'll really be defeating Itachi on your own, without my help. After all, my chakra won't help you much if you don't know how to use it."

"True…" The Uchiha heir hesitated, eyeing the bafflingly eager blond before him. "And why are you offering me this? Weren't you pissed at me only a few short hours ago?"

"I was," Naruto confirmed, nodding. "But then I met those bandits, all thanks to you, who introduced me to _chocolate_."

The light bulb turned on. "You forgave me that very instant, didn't you."

"Yup."

Sasuke sighed. "Fine. Teach me how to control my chakra."

"With pleasure." Grinning, Naruto slipped behind Sasuke and placed his hands on the brunet's shoulders. When Sasuke automatically tensed, Naruto gave them a squeeze. "Relax."

Sasuke scowled at him, turning his head. "Is the physical contact really necessary?"

"Yes." Naruto stepped closer to him, the heat of the other man's body sinking into Sasuke's back. Unaccountably, a faint flush began to rise in Sasuke's cheeks, and he immediately turned his face away. Naruto removed his right hand from its perch and ran it leisurely down Sasuke's right arm, raising goosebumps in his wake. Cupping Sasuke's forearm, he encouraged the brunet to lift his arm. His warm breath wafted against Sasuke's ear as he asked, "When you picture your chakra, what do you think of?"

Fighting his extreme discomfort at the demon's proximity, Sasuke managed, "Fire."

He could feel Naruto's nod against the back of his head. "I figured as much. It makes sense, since your family specializes in fire jutsu. That's also the root of your problem."

Sasuke struggled to keep from hunching his shoulders and subsequently shrugging the other man away from him. "How is _that_ my problem?"

"Fire burns out. It's fierce and powerful, but it needs fuel or it will run out. The very fact that you think of your chakra that way means that you assume you have little control over it." Naruto gripped Sasuke's raised arm a bit more firmly. "Activate your Sharingan, I'll show you what I mean."

As he spoke, Sasuke felt his eyes almost automatically switch over into his blood trait. The blue chakra in his arm flickered and danced beneath his skin like the flames he'd always vaguely pictured them as. Beside him, the red demonic chakra within Naruto's arm moved in much the same manner.

Naruto murmured into his ear, "Your chakra is like mine. We both burn on the inside. The difference is that you can't afford to."

Sasuke stared at the glimmering energy. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Imagine that your chakra isn't just fire. Treat it as though it were a river of flames. Controlled and smooth." As though sensing Sasuke's impending scoff, Naruto shifted his hand and gently pushed some of his chakra into Sasuke's arm. When he pulled his fingers slowly along the length of the Uchiha's limb, Sasuke's blue chakra smoothed out and began to flow in the same direction. He gasped at the sensation.

Naruto slowly drew his hand up and down Sasuke's arm, gently manipulating the chakra within. It began to feel like a tide, like the inexorable movement of the powerful forces of nature, rather than the finite energy it was. Sasuke inhaled sharply.

"You see? That's the difference control can make. If you know exactly where your chakra's going and what it's doing, you can use less to create your attacks. Case in point…"

Naruto's hand pushed against the stream of chakra, and like a cresting wave, it leapt out of Sasuke's skin and exploded into an effortless Chidori. Sasuke's eyes widened. As easily as it began, the same chakra sunk back into Sasuke's arm and rejoined the stream of living flames. Sasuke's breathing hitched—even when he hadn't used his Chidori on something in the past, he'd never been able to reabsorb it. All of his attacks were typically wasted energy.

He was beginning to see Naruto's point. If he could pull off his most energetically expensive attack with so little effort, what would the rest of his attacks be like with the same control? He'd be virtually tireless!

Despite himself, Sasuke felt excitement welling up inside him. This sort of technique could go a long way towards toppling his brother. With Kyuubi's chakra as an added bonus…

"You're starting to get it, aren't you?" Naruto abruptly questioned, a smile in his voice.

Sasuke grunted, then grudgingly admitted, "Yes. How the hell did someone like you figure this out?"

Naruto snorted. "I'm older than I look, remember? Now, I'm going to need you to practice controlling all of your chakra, not just your arm. You need the whole system going."

The Uchiha heir frowned. "That's going to take a while."

"You're supposed to be a genius or something when it comes to fighting, right?" Naruto reached his free hand around Sasuke's middle and pressed it against his sternum. The movement drew Sasuke flush against the other man's body, raising his discomfort tenfold. Why the hell did the demon have to be so hands-on in his teaching method? Was he deliberately provoking the younger man?

When Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, Naruto pressed a bit of chakra into Sasuke's sternum. With a gasp, Sasuke felt his chakra core spring to life like a second heart, pulsing rhythmically. Glancing down with his Sharingan, he watched all of his chakra smooth out and flow steadily through his body. Almost immediately, his body felt like it'd been completely rejuvenated, as though the last several days had never happened.

Naruto pressed a grin against the back of Sasuke's head. "Now you know what it feels like." He released him abruptly, stepping back and folding his arms over his chest.

Sasuke felt his chakra immediately release the controlled current that Naruto had manipulated it into, and he scowled when it fell back into its normal, somewhat chaotic flow. Now that he was aware of it, his chakra felt less like energy and more like bees buzzing around. The sensation was annoying as hell.

Naruto laughed at Sasuke's disgruntled expression. "That's all I'm going to do for you now. The rest is up to you." The frustrating bastard practically skipped over to his hoard of sweets, plunking himself down on the flat boulder and ripping open a package of chocolate. "Have fun!"

The Uchiha heir rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

Glancing around, Sasuke spotted another flat-topped boulder and settled himself upon it. He folded his legs and placed his hands on his knees, closing his eyes as he began to concentrate on his chakra core. After all this time, he finally felt like he was making progress towards defeating his brother. At long last, he'd be able to avenge his family. The thought filled him with exhilaration.

As he tried to clear his mind, though, he couldn't help feeling how strange the whole situation was. Thanks to Itachi, Sasuke's whole life had been dedicated to destroying his brother.

Strange that Itachi'd led him to the creature that gave him the answer.

* * *

Swearing under her breath, Tsunade slammed open the door to Konoha's archives and strode purposefully past several startled ninja at the assorted tables within the building. With its high, vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows, the room should have been filled to the brim with natural light, but the looming bookcases stuffed with tomes and scrolls permitted very little light to make it down to the floor. Lamps with soft yellow light adorned each long table in the central area, most of them already in use by studious ninjas.

God, she hated it in here. Being around so much knowledge at once made her cranky. It made her itch to do something stupid, like knock down one of the towering, intimidating bookshelves with a tremendous battle cry.

One glance at the month's librarian, Umino Iruka, shot that idea all to hell. The man usually spent his time surrounded by screaming children that he was teaching to hurt people. Iruka seemed to have a soft heart and quiet nature, but truthfully, schoolteachers scared the crap out of Tsunade. They always had. She gave him an impudent grin, which he replied to with narrowed eyes and a scratch to his scarred nose. Tsunade slipped around a bookshelf out of sight.

"Let's see here…" she murmured, browsing the musty, dusty shelves—which, to be fair, didn't actually have any must or dust on them—for the specific tomes she was looking for. As if by magic, one of them popped up under her fingers as she ran them over the book spines: Konoha Clan Histories. Smirking triumphantly, she pulled out the book and slipped it under her arm. She glanced around for the other book she wanted, but the Uchiha family historical record seemed to be missing. Scowling, she moved down the aisle, followed the back wall to the far left corner of the archives, and stared disgustedly at the piles of Fire Country mythological scrolls.

"How the hell am I supposed to find it amongst all this?" she muttered, picking up a scroll in each hand and glowering at the faded print on the outside. Wedging her book more firmly under her armpit, Tsunade began gently unfurling scrolls, scanned them, and rolled them back up. After seven increasingly irritating tries, she finally found the one she was looking for, along with its two subsequent volumes.

_Fox Legends of the Fire Country_

Two out of three wasn't bad. Moderately satisfied, she wandered back to the central area, picked a table at random, and settled down without bothering to see who was seated at the table with her. Adjusting one of the yellow lamps to her liking, she unrolled the scroll and began to browse.

"The Fox and the Liver, no… The Two Fox Maidens, no…" When she hit the end of the scroll without finding the legend she was searching for, she roughly rolled it up and tossed it aside. She grabbed the next volume, but she met with just as little success. With a growl, she snatched up the last volume and unfurled it.

_The Legend of Kyuubi no Kitsune_

Tsunade paused at the faded print before her. She was right. There _was_ a legend about a nine-tailed demon fox, despite the small voice that had insisted that she was crazy for even thinking about it. Suspiciously, that little voice was now silent, and the headache she'd been nursing since she left her office had disappeared as well. Tapping her fingers against the dark wooden table, she began to read.

_"When the Fire Country was young, and Konoha was little more than a few families living near each other in thatched huts, a great fox demon with nine tails came suddenly into being. The creature grew quickly, in size and reputation, leaping from village to village to demand their obedience and offerings, and wreaking havoc when the townsfolk refused it. The demon was like a plague, robbing the humans of their goods and setting fires often without provocation. Within decades, the demon had grown to a magnificent size, towering over the humans like a great, fiery mountain. Other demons fought it and failed, falling under the Kyuubi no Kitsune's ranks._

_When the humans forgot to leave an offering, or spoke ill of Kyuubi no Kitsune, it wrought swift and horrible vengeance upon entire villages. When angered, Kyuubi no Kitsune's tails would thunder against the ground, bringing down entire mountains at a time. It was a terrifying age._

The story went on, extolling the cruelties of a vicious tyrant. The scroll also contained a second version of events that began at the end of the first, this time detailing an entirely different, benevolent Kyuubi no Kitsune.

_After several centuries of anonymity, Kyuubi no Kitsune rose to power. Its rule over the Fire Country unchallenged, the great demon began to walk amongst its people in human form. When offerings were presented, crops flourished. Winters were mild, livestock were plump and plentiful, and the Fire Country prospered. The spirits of the Fire Country praised Kyuubi no Kitsune's name, and the people lived in peace._

Both versions of the legend ended the same way, however: bloodily.

_One day, the gods took notice of the shrines built in Kyuubi no Kitsune's honor. They grew jealous of its zealous cult, and there was a great war. Kyuubi and seven of the other great tailed demons fought bravely. At first, it seemed as though they would win._

_The last great tailed demon, the Yamata no Orochi (Eight-Branched Serpent), who had lived on the edges of the Fire Country and always coveted the Kyuubi no Kitsune's lands and power, plotted to betray the other demons to the gods, revealing their battle plans._

_A villager from Konoha overheard the Yamata no Orochi's evil plan, and he rushed to Kyuubi no Kitsune's side. When he spoke of the intended betrayal, however, Kyuubi no Kitsune struck him for his insolence, leaving a curse mark upon his face that would be passed down amongst all future generations. Kyuubi no Kitsune rushed into battle, heedless of the warning, and was struck down._

_In an instant, all eight demons vanished, never to be seen again. The treacherous Yamata no Orochi lived on, feeding off Kyuubi no Kitsune's lands until he was eventually destroyed by the storm god, Susanoo: Ref. Kojiki._

The scroll stopped there. Frowning, Tsunade gingerly rolled up the old parchment and strapped it to the others, then laced her fingers and pressed them against her mouth. From the legends, the original Kyuubi no Kitsune was monstrously powerful and tremendous in size. A small fox that happened to have nine tails couldn't possibly be related, could it?

She grimaced. A small fox that just _happened_ to be as intelligent as a ninja dog, that _happened_ to show up almost simultaneously with the arrival of Sasuke's cousin. A man who tended to squint, had irrepressible charm, and had three suspicious whisker marks on each cheek.

Sighing, she opened her history of Konoha's great clans. Each was particularly long-lived, several, like the Hyuuga clan and the Nara clan, going back over a thousand years. The Uchiha clan, however, seemed to pop up out of nowhere seven or eight hundred years ago, branching off from the Hyuuga clan with a sudden vengeance and quickly establishing its power. One moment, the Uchiha clan didn't exist, and the next, it was a highly ranked clan on par with its relatives. It was the only clan on record that ever rose to prominence that quickly.

In light of the little fox that had so improbably bonded with Uchiha Sasuke, Tsunade was beginning to form a guess as to how that happened. Was it truly possible that Kyuubi no Kitsune didn't disappear, but was merely weakened by that legendary war? Could that mythical tyrant be wandering around, travelling in human form in the name of _her_ city?

A quiet noise from across the table made her look up. Hyuuga Neji was sitting across from her, observing her with his fathomless white eyes. Before him sat another tome. Narrowing her eyes, Tsunade reached out and snatched it from him.

"Whatcha reading?" A quick glance confirmed her suspicions. "The Uchiha historical record. Any particular reason you're looking this up?"

Neji gazed at her for a long moment before he replied, "The same reason you are looking at the collective clan histories of Konoha, Hokage-sama."

Her shoulders tensed and straightened automatically, affecting her no-nonsense-Hokage pose. "And what is that?"

"It's growing colder outside."

That non-sequitur made her pause. "What?"

Neji gave her scrolls a pointed glance. "Konoha's temperature has dropped steadily ever since Uchiha and Naruto went on their mission."

_Kyuubi no Kitsune was known for his fire._ "Crap," she blurted. To his credit, the young man didn't flinch at her language. "That doesn't necessarily mean that Naruto and that fox are somehow related to all this."

Neji simply stared at her. Eventually, Tsunade sighed. "Alright, what tipped you off?"

The young man frowned pensively. "I noticed that all three of them, the fox, Naruto, and Uchiha, were acting somewhat strangely when I met them. I could not determine what unsettled me so until Haruno-san questioned me on the whereabouts of the fox." A faint glimmer of unease crossed Neji's face, making him look like the boy he was for a fleeting moment. "Hokage-sama. This is a stretch of the imagination, but is it at all possible that…"

Tsunade grimaced when Neji uncharacteristically trailed off. When spoken aloud, their theory that the mythical Kyuubi and Sasuke's Kyuubi were one and the same sounded ludicrous. She shook her head.

"Are there any other reasons you think Naruto might be…well, you know?"

Neji began to shake his head, then hesitated, his features growing stony in the way that she'd learned meant that he was distinctly uncomfortable. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Well?"

"It is of little consequence, Hokage-sama," he replied blandly.

Tsunade scented a cover-up. She leaned forward. "You do realize that this is important. Spill."

Neji's face grew even stonier. "Fox legends make many references to their demons flirting with men."

It didn't take a genius to make that leap in intuition. Tsunade barked out a laugh that echoed in the quiet archives.

"Are you saying that Naruto flirted with you?" she asked gleefully.

Neji's lips thinned nearly imperceptibly. "And the fox, yes."

Tsunade laughed again. "One more point in favor of our theory, then." She planted her elbow on the table and placed her hand in her palm, gazing down at their resources. "If it is, somehow possible, and Sasuke's Kyuubi is the same as the ancient Kyuubi, that would answer some questions. It would explain how the Uchiha family rose to power so quickly, which I'm sure your family has wondered for ages."

The Hyuuga nodded shortly.

"But it also raises some more questions. Who's in charge of whom? Has the Uchiha family somehow gained control over the Kyuubi no Kitsune, or has he been using them to rise to power?" she mused. A worrying though crossed her mind. "And in either case, how the hell could I send the two of them off to represent Konoha in a mission ordered by a guy who clearly wants to declare war with us?"

After a tense silence, Neji offered, "I believe that Kyuubi blinded us all to the perils of associating with him."

Tsunade's fingers dug into her cheek.

"Crap."

* * *

Naruto was in heaven. He had a bar of chocolate in one hand, six strawberry pocky sticks in the other, and half a bag of potato chips in his mouth. He crunched contentedly, savoring the weird flavor of something called pizza mixed with what they claimed was potato. It didn't taste like anything but awesome to him, but that was good enough for the demon. After he swallowed, he glanced at his hands and tried to make the horrible decision between the two tasty treats.

Chocolate, as always, won. Half the bar disappeared in a single bite, followed by the release of a guttural moan. He closed his eyes and tipped back his head, worshipping the enticing flavor as it raced through him. Chocolate made his fucking _toes_ tingle. It was practically better than sex!

Well, no, it wasn't better than sex, but it was damn high up on the list.

A snarl of annoyance from across the clearing broke into his semi-orgasmic haze, and Naruto reluctantly opened his eyes. Sasuke was glaring at him from atop his own boulder.

"Do you think you could at least _try_ to be quiet over there?" Sasuke snapped.

Naruto glanced down at his chocolate, thought about it, and raised his eyes. He gave Sasuke a slow, apologetic shake of his head.

The Uchiha heir visibly ground his teeth. "You're impossible."

After leisurely chewing his mouthful of chocolate and swallowing it, Naruto calmly replied.

"If you'd introduced me to chocolate before, maybe I wouldn't be so addicted right now. Did you ever think of that, Mr. Smartypants?"

Sasuke snorted. "If I'd plied you with chocolate then, you'd probably have a giant gut and be glued to my couch right now, letting me travel to Sand in peace while you ate sweets and watched daytime TV."

Naruto's eyes grew misty at the thought. "If only that were possible…" Sighing, he set his chocolate down. "How's your practice going?"

Sasuke's faint amusement died a quick and horrible death. The younger man scowled at him. "Since you keep distracting me, it's not going well at all!"

"Distracting you?" Naruto returned, offended. "Sasuke, if I were trying to distract you, you'd know it. You're just not focusing."

"I am—"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Naruto waved a hand imperiously. "Focus. No talkie."

Sasuke growled at him, but he obediently closed his eyes and returned to his task, eyebrows furrowing. This time, instead of picking up his extremely distracting—for himself—chocolate, he planted his hands behind him and leaned back, observing the Uchiha heir.

When he'd been showing Sasuke how to manipulate his own chakra, he'd been bathed in the smell of Sasuke's discomfort, along with a healthy dose of pheromones. Honestly, he had no idea why the brunet was so vehement in denying the fact that he was attracted to Naruto. What the hell kind of harm would it do? And what difference did it make that he was male?

_Maybe Sasuke thinks that being attracted to a virile, sexy, manly man like me makes him less of a man…?_ Naruto pondered that thought for a moment. He'd known a few people like that in the good old days, but so long as you eventually settled down with a nice female—or a nice-looking one—and reared a couple of kids, no one seemed to care. Naruto himself had outlived all of his mates, and he assumed he'd outlived all of his children as well. At least when he took a male for his lover, he didn't have to worry about a hormonal, scary female and squalling kids.

Sasuke didn't seem to think that way. He was nearly as hormonal as a pregnant female as it was, and he planned on having dozens of kids, if the words "rebuild the Uchiha clan" meant anything. A sudden image of a heavily pregnant Sasuke crossed Naruto's mind, and he snorted, mentally labeling the image, "Hell on Earth."

So what was Sasuke willingly attracted to, then? He'd had zero interest in the voluptuous Sakura-chan, despite her obvious desire for him. Tsunade-baa-chan didn't make Sasuke's heart go pitter-patter with her deliciously oversized mammaries. And if he wasn't mistaken, Sasuke had no interest in Naruto's female form, either, and that one worked on everyone.

Naruto pursed his lips. Maybe Sasuke was too distracted by the bandits at the time to react to Naruto. The boy had to be attracted to women in some sense if he was planning to marry and whelp, right?

Grinning, Naruto transformed himself into his favorite female form, this time choosing a tight, low-cut white dress to emphasize all of his womanly curves. Sasuke didn't seem to notice. Stealthily, Naruto slid off his perch and sashayed over to the Uchiha heir, striking a pose before him with his butt sticking out and his hands on his knees, pressing his breasts together as he leaned forward.

"Ne," he crooned throatily. "Sasuke-kuuuuun…"

The furrow between Sasuke's brows deepened, but he didn't open his eyes. Naruto edged a little closer and called again.

"Oh Sasuke-kuuuuun."

Scowling irritably, Sasuke snapped his eyes open. "_What_—" He visibly goggled at Naruto, eyes helplessly darting down to the mostly-exposed breasts before him and snapping back up to Naruto's heart-shaped face. After a shocked moment, he leaned away from Naruto. "What the hell are you doing??"

"I was just wondering, Sasuke-kun," Naruto began, moving forward to place his fingertips daintily on the stone on either side of Sasuke's legs. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Sasuke looked ready to flee in horror at any second. His arms came up as if in an aborted attempt to ward off the creature before him.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he demanded angrily. "Why are you female again? Get away from me!"

Naruto pouted. He wasn't picking up on any pheromones from Sasuke at all. None. Zero. What was wrong with him? Determinedly, Naruto placed one hand on each of Sasuke's shoulders and straddled him, leaning forward. He even gave into the temptation to use his chakra a little bit, teasing Sasuke's nose with a flowery scent.

"Aren't you attracted to me, Sasuke-kun?" Naruto leaned forward, bringing his lips within kissing distance. Sasuke continued to lean away from him, but Naruto simply followed. "Even a little bit?"

Sasuke stared at him like he'd grown another head. "Everything about this situation is wrong. Just…wrong. Get off me."

Zero pheromones. _Still_. Naruto fought to keep himself from scowling. Every mortal man he'd ever tried to seduce with his female form fell for it. Every single one. Even the ones who knew he was a fox! How could it not work on Sasuke? All he could smell was horror with a dollop of fear.

Naruto pursed his lips. "Do you not like blondes? Are you more the traditional type?" In a flash, Naruto became a traditional Japanese brunette, wrapped in a kimono that was parted at the legs to allow him space to straddle the young man. When Sasuke continued to merely look uncomfortable—and not in a good way—Naruto tried making his breasts smaller. "Maybe you're not into a curvy figure?"

"Ugh. Just get off me!" Finally reaching his limit, Sasuke pushed at Naruto and glared venomously. "Why would you interrupt my training for this?? Are you demented?"

What the hell! Nothing worked on this guy! Ego bruised, Naruto narrowed his eyes and transformed back into a man, wrapping a strong hand around the back of Sasuke's head and drawing the Uchiha close.

Pheromones. Tons of them. Sasuke froze, staring at him like a deer in headlights (Naruto thanked terribision for that reference). Interest piqued, Naruto lowered his eyelids to half-mast and moved his mouth within a breath's distance from Sasuke's.

"Or maybe you prefer me like this…?" he murmured. At this distance, he could practically hear Sasuke's heart hammering. All at once, his nose was bombarded with the scents of desire, fear, disgust, excitement—

And then he was on his back several feet away, with the wind knocked out of him. Again.

"Well," he stated after a moment. "That answers that question."

"You're sick," Sasuke snarled. "For the last time, I am _NOT_ attracted to you!!"

Naruto paused, then sat up. He replied calmly, "Yes, you are. But that's ok."

Ignoring Sasuke's sputtered protests, Naruto stood, brushed himself off, and returned to his chosen boulder. He gingerly navigated around the slaughtered remains of countless treats as he sat down, then picked up his forgotten chocolate bar and took a loving bite. Sasuke stared at him.

"…I'm not attracted to you," Sasuke repeated firmly into the silence.

Naruto ignored him. Sasuke shifted uneasily on his boulder.

"I'm not."

Rolling his eyes, Naruto finally replied, "Just go back to practicing, Sasuke."

The brunet frowned, clearly reluctant to let the previous topic go, but then he turned his head to glare at his feet.

"I've been at this for hours already, Naruto," he ground out. "How can this be so challenging?"

"It requires a lot of concentration," he replied, pointing out the obvious. When Sasuke glared at him and opened his mouth, Naruto hurriedly added, "And there will be a lot of distractions. You need to learn to do it automatically."

Sasuke scowled at that, straightening his spine at glaring straight ahead. "It would help if I had something to practice against."

At that moment, the wind picked up in the clearing, swirling so rapidly in the small enclosure that Naruto's empty wrappers flew up and began smacking them repeatedly in the face. Faint laughter filled the air.

_"Kyuubi-sama…"_

Naruto's eyes widened. The wind began to coalesce in the center of the clearing, laughter rising steadily in volume. Within a few moments, an apparition formed, translucent hair tossing wildly behind an androgynous, pretty face. The slender figure hovered above the ground and glanced back and forth between the two men with amused eyes. When they continued to stare at the wind spirit, it chose to ignore Sasuke in favor of Naruto and drifted over to him. A pale hand reached out to brush his whiskered cheek, joy lighting up the multicolored eyes.

"Kyuubi-sama!" it breathed. "It _is_ you!"

"Uh…" He glanced at a transfixed Sasuke before returning his attention to the wind spirit. "Yes, it's me. I'm back."

The wind spirit clapped its hands and did a quick, joyous spin, laughter that sounded like a thousand tiny bells spilling out of its mouth.

"You woke me up, Kyuubi-sama! Thank you so much!" The wind spirit pulled itself together more firmly, forming a solid, hovering body. To Naruto's shock, its hands darted out, cupped his cheeks, and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss, a strangely warm/cool tongue slipping into his mouth. He froze instinctively, but the wind spirit was completely unfazed and pulled back after thoroughly exploring Naruto's mouth. It laughed that tinkling, ringing laugh again. "Thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome…?" he returned weakly. The wind spirit settled atop his lap, legs dangling off his left side and arms wound loosely around his neck. It laid its head down on his shoulder and sighed happily, gazing up at him with adoring eyes. Hesitantly, Naruto placed his hands on the wind spirit's hips. "So, how did I wake you up again?"

"Your wave of power, Kyuubi-sama. It woke us all, those of us who could yet be awakened." The wind spirit shifted closer, brushing its lips against Naruto's neck. Pleasant shivers slid down the fox demon's spine, causing him to tighten his grip.

Naruto looked down at the ethereal spirit, recognizing the expression on its face with surprise and amusement. How long had it been since he'd fallen in love with anyone so easily? He'd forgotten that about the glory days, how close emotions were to the surface. The innocence.

Grinning, Naruto ran a hand up the slender back. "And what's your name, then?"

The wind spirit leaned back, hair tossing in a non-existent breeze. It smiled beatifically. "Whatever name you choose to give me, my lord."

Naruto laughed. "Well, are you male or female?"

A glint of mischief in those rainbow-colored eyes. "Whichever you prefer."

A strange, strangled noise came from the other side of the clearing. Naruto glanced at Sasuke, whose face was oddly contorted.

"Problem, Sasuke?"

The younger man swallowed, then managed, "What the hell _is_ that thing?"

The creature on Naruto's lap lifted its nose imperiously at Sasuke. "I am a wind spirit, of course." It glanced at Naruto and added, full of sympathy, "Your human pet isn't very bright, is he?"

"_Pet—!_"

"He has his moments," Naruto replied hurriedly. Ignoring the incensed glare Sasuke threw his way, he trailed a finger along a smooth cheek. The wind spirit closed its eyes in pleasure and leaned into the touch. "Kazeko is too obvious… Hayako?"

"Early child," she replied dreamily. Her eyes opened, and she placed a loving hand upon his cheek in return. "This a lovely name."

Sasuke snorted. "Too bad he couldn't pick out something as nice for himself, eh, _Naruto_?"

"What is Naruto?" Hayako replied in confusion. The demon in question scowled at Sasuke.

"Never mind that. Sasuke, aren't you supposed to be training?"

Eyes narrowed, the Uchiha heir snapped, "Aren't you supposed to be chasing after men? Why'd you give it a female name?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, tugging the demon on his lap even closer. Hayako trilled in delight, darting forward to plant tiny kisses along his jaw line. Interest growing quickly, he turned his head and nuzzled their noses together.

"I told you I like women, too, moron," he replied calmly. Happily, he let himself be drawn into another passionate kiss, complementary chakras mixing. The figure on his lap began to pinch at the waist, swelled at the hips, and plumped in the chest, becoming decidedly female. Naruto grinned into the kiss, running his fingertips up Hayako's enticing side.

Sasuke sharply cleared his throat, drawing the fox demon's attention away. He pulled back, although Hayako gave an ego-soothing whine. Keeping his eyes on the beautiful face in front of his, Naruto tossed a comment back to the irate brunet.

"Sasuke. Practice."

"It's a little difficult to focus with you doing that," came the caustic reply. Naruto lifted an eyebrow.

Did he detect some jealousy in the Uchiha heir's tone?

Sighing airily, Hayako pulled away from him and drifted into the air. "Perhaps if I help your human pet, he will leave us be?"

Naruto smothered a laugh. "Um, maybe."

Hayako smiled, leaned forward to press a soft kiss against his lips, and straightened. "Then it shall be done, Kyuubi-sama."

Gods, it was nice to be respected again. Grinning, Naruto leaned back on his hands and watched the girl drift over to his companion. The attention felt so _good_, especially after the several hundred year drought he was going through. He almost felt like a free man: out in the wilderness, a beautiful wind spirit clutching him to her bosom… What more could he ask for?

Well, aside from actual freedom.

After a few moments of speaking quietly, during which Sasuke sent him a confusingly enraged look, Sasuke threw a fist at the wind spirit. Naturally, he went right through her. Hayako laughed, told him something that seemed to tick him off even more, and turned away. With a smug smile, she wafted back to Naruto's side and settled upon his lap again.

"Your human pet should be sufficiently motivated now." She kissed him lingeringly. "Shall we continue?"

Naruto gave her a narrow look. "What exactly did you tell him?"

Hayako grinned. "You will find out at sunset, my lord."

Sighing, he shook his head. "Fine, fine. Keep your secrets." He leaned in to nuzzle her nose again. "How many others woke with you?"

"Many," she replied dutifully. "Wind spirits, water demons, earth demons, tree spirits, fire spirits… A great many of us have awoken due to your return." Hayako's eyes glimmered with joy and gratitude, sentiments that warmed the fox demon's heart and caused him to reflexively draw her close. "The world is finally returning to the days of old."

Chakra rose within him, flooding his eyes with crimson. He gave her a short nod.

"This time, it will be even better."

* * *

Sasuke watched the two demons furiously, fists clenching in his lap. How could Naruto sit there and slobber all over some creature he'd never even met before? It was like Sasuke had completely ceased to exist, never mind the fact that _he_ was Kyuubi's _master_! Naruto should be over here, prepping Sasuke for his upcoming battle with Itachi, not schmoozing some air-headed sycophant!

And why the hell was Naruto suddenly all over a female, anyway? After all of the humiliation he forced Sasuke through in an effort to prove that there was nothing wrong with liking men! That _bastard_.

He forced himself to close his eyes and breathe steadily, forcing his sudden rage back down into a more manageable level of anger. Why was he so upset in the first place? Shouldn't he be _happy_ that Naruto's flirtatious advances had finally been redirected elsewhere?

He should be. Gods help him, he wasn't. He quickly consoled himself with the thought that they were on a mission, an important one at that, with no time to waste on interludes with the fairer sex. If Sasuke could hold out, why shouldn't Naruto?

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke loudly and pointedly cleared his throat in an attempt to break up the prolonged kiss. Naruto obligingly lifted his head, but his next words sent a spike of rage through the Uchiha heir.

"Sasuke. Practice."

Just like that, he was being dismissed. Sasuke restrained himself from leaping to his feet, marching over to the pair of demons, dragging her off Naruto's lap and planting a fist in the smug bastard's face.

"It's a little difficult to focus with you doing that," he spat, fists tightening. If Naruto could just control himself for ten seconds like any civilized person, Sasuke wouldn't be having so much trouble. The thought made him grimace.

_If I didn't let him get under my skin so easily, I wouldn't be having so much trouble with him._ Trying to ignore the lovey-dovey pair, Sasuke took several calming breaths. _I'm the calm, cultured one. Naruto's just an idiot with a libido the size of the Fire Country._

Sasuke wasn't the real target of Naruto's affection. He was just, until now, the most convenient outlet. This time, the thought calmed him, but it didn't make him feel any better.

The two demons finally pulled apart, murmuring quietly to each other. When "Hayako" rose into the air and drifted towards him, Sasuke took a sharp breath through his nose and schooled his expression into his best mask of indifference. The wind spirit gazed at him curiously, translucent hair waving back and forth.

"You are practicing chakra control?" she abruptly questioned.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

Hayako weaved gently to and fro, a small smile growing on her face. "You need motivation. I can give you this." Drifting closer, she lowered her voice. "Kyuubi-sama is my new love. When the sun sets, I shall make him mine."

_What?!_ Unable to help himself, Sasuke speared the fox demon with a venomous glare. When Naruto simply blinked at him in response, he turned back to the wind spirit.

"The hell you will. In case you haven't noticed, he belongs to me. Neither of us has time to spend tied down to you."

Hayako waved a hand dismissively. "Kyuubi no Kitsune belongs to no one other than those he marries. He has not wed you."

"He's wearing a ring," Sasuke muttered. Hayako looked at him strangely.

"He has not bed you, either. You have no claim upon him. I will give you one, and only one method of interfering with me, since you are so attached to him." Hayako smiled sweetly, but her eyes gleamed with mischief. "If you can catch me, I will leave him to you."

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Catch you?"

"You will need to force my chakra into one form. Only one who has mastered his own chakra can do that." She laughed, leaning close. "If you have not managed by sunset, I will convince Kyuubi-sama to marry me."

Scowling, Sasuke forced the chakra in his arm into the smooth flow he'd practiced and swung at the wind spirit, but her chakra collapsed under his touch. She laughed at him.

"Until sunset, mortal pet." With that, she winked at him and floated away, settling down on top of Naruto. The fox demon spoke to her quietly, but judging by the frustrated expression on his face, she wasn't telling him of their arrangement.

Sasuke sent her a poisonous glare, then straightened his spine, unfurled his fists, and concentrated.

He was _not_ going to lose.

* * *

Tsunade's eyes were burning from reading in the dim light—or from so much reading, period. She rubbed them wearily.

No record of the Uzumaki family from anywhere in the Fire Country. Although there had been a few Uchiha members over the years that went rogue, there were no records of any of them starting families. And yet, the documents that Naruto had given her looked completely official. If they were forgeries, and it seemed like they had to be for generations of a family to be missing from any and all records, they were extremely good ones.

Any time the blond was around, Tsunade found herself making counter-intuitive decisions that were always accompanied by an embarrassing hot flash.

If he really was Kyuubi no Kitsune, those same flashes had nothing to do with her age. They were the result of that creep manipulating her.

Somehow, that notion was surprisingly easy to accept.

Movement before her caused her to glance up. Hyuuga Neji returned to the table with a solemn expression, and he sat down across from her.

"I have finished exploring the Uchiha household. The chakra patterns staining the house belong to the fox, with its red chakra, and Sasuke. There is no sign of Naruto ever having been inside that house."

Tsunade frowned. "But you saw them both at the same time. Did Naruto's chakra seem normal then?"

The skin around Neji's eyes tightened. "Yes. He must have created a human bunshin and cloaked its chakra. If he has served or been served by the Uchiha family for so long, he would know of my Byakugan and its abilities."

This horrible situation was making her head pound. "Another strike against Naruto. Did you notice anything else?"

"There was an extraordinary amount of red chakra residue behind a wall in the living room. It is conceivable that Kyuubi was contained there." The young man had a troubled glint in his eyes, but he didn't offer any more insights. Tsunade sighed.

_He's probably berating himself for not catching this before, just like me. At least HE'S not a Hokage, with the weight of this whole damn village resting on his shoulders._

Shaking her head, Tsunade decisively closed the book before her. "That's too many points in favor, and almost none against. As crazy as it sounds," she took a quick glance around, but the archives had emptied over the last few hours. Wincing, she continued, "Naruto and Kyuubi no Kitsune are one and the same."

The Hyuuga boy nodded slowly. Tsunade tapped her fingers on the table.

"We can't let a demon go running off into the distance in our name, especially with Sasuke in tow." She stared down at her fingers, pensively pursing her lips.

Truthfully, she'd never trusted Sasuke. When he was kidnapped by Orochimaru and taken to Sound, Tsunade had rounded up her best Anbu and sent them to retrieve him, only to have them return empty-handed. Sasuke had defected, lured in by Orochimaru's promise of power. One year later, he'd returned, dying from the cursed chakra that was running rampant all over his skin. In his hands he'd clutched bloodstained scrolls detailing the layout of Orochimaru's hideaway, and he'd blurted out the rogue ninja's plans to attack Konoha before passing out. Tsunade, with her medical skills, knowledge of Orochimaru's methods, and power, had managed to completely remove the cursed chakra from Sasuke's thirteen-year-old body. Sasuke was left with nothing more than a scar and bad memories.

When all of Sasuke's intelligence proved fruitful, ending in a decisive victory over Sound when the betrayed attack on Konoha took place, the Village Council decided to largely overlook Sasuke's defection and placed him under house arrest for one year, followed by two years of probation. Sasuke took it all in stride, issuing no complaints as he gradually worked his way up to Jounin. The Village Council seemed pleased by this, and to the boy's credit, he never showed even a hint of disloyalty since then, but the whole episode had always left a sour taste in Tsunade's mouth. She'd never understood what caused him to turn away from the power Orochimaru had handed over on a silver platter.

This Kyuubi business shed new light on the situation. If Sasuke sensed Kyuubi's presence somehow, it would explain why he'd chosen to return. The power of Kyuubi no Kitsune would beat out Orochimaru's any day.

"Hokage-sama?"

The gentle verbal nudge from Neji made up her mind. Tsunade looked at him and nodded.

"I'll have to send someone after him. Sasuke needs to complete his mission in Sand to avoid war, but we can't allow Kyuubi no Kitsune to wander around freely. And if he really is just Uzumaki Naruto, no harm will be done." She sighed. "He'll have to be collected and brought back here."

Neji paused. "How do you plan to bring him back?"

Hesitantly, Tsunade scowled. "I have no idea. Anbu alone won't be enough if he is who we think he is. We need something to weaken him." She slammed her fist against the table. "How the hell are we going to do that?!"

A throat cleared behind her. Spinning around, Tsunade gazed up at a disgruntled Iruka.

"Hokage-sama, I must ask you to keep your voice down and stop abusing the reading material," he admonished sternly, glaring at the haphazardly strewn books and scrolls on the table.

Tsunade shook an indignant finger at him. "I'll have you know that I'm doing something very important, Schoolteacher. I have to catch a demon fox."

The comment caused Iruka to blink. "Use dogs."

"What?" She hadn't expected him to take her seriously.

"Foxes are weakened by dogs." He grimaced, reaching up to scratch at his nose. "Why you would want to catch one is beyond me."

Tsunade found herself staring at him. "And why would you say that? I was just joking."

Even in the dim light, she could see a blush rise up on Iruka's cheeks. "I was brought up to hate foxes, demon or otherwise. Everyone in the Umino family knows how to ward them off."

The blush made Iruka's scar turn white. Tsunade's eyes widened.

_He left a curse mark upon the villager's face. One that would be passed down to all future generations._

Every member of the Umino family had that birthmark.

Standing, Tsunade wrapped an arm around the bewildered Iruka and smiled.

"Umino-san, I think you're going to give us some great help."

* * *

Sasuke's lips turned up in a faint smile, his eyes still closed. The chakra coursing throughout his body swirled at his command, flames flowing in the direction he wanted, when he wanted, effortlessly. Several times, he began to summon an attack and let the chakra settle before he followed through. He tried letting his mind wander, only to return to find that his chakra was still behaving. He had complete control.

And now to prove it.

Opening his eyes, he glanced at the darkening sky and the red clouds on the horizon. Just in time for sunset. He hopped to his feet, surprised when his legs didn't protest after being folded upon stone for hours. Another benefit to chakra control.

Confidence rose within him as he strode over to the fox demon's side of the clearing. Naruto and Hayako had long-since abandoned the flat boulder in favor of lying in the tall grass on the far side of it, giggling and smooching from what Sasuke could hear. The snacks were also long gone. The Uchiha heir came around the boulder and stood next to the pair of demons, folding his arms. After a moment, Naruto looked up.

"Hey, Sasuke! Taking a break?" He grinned impishly up at the brunet while Hayako gazed at Sasuke with curious eyes. Naruto's hand was resting on her bosom.

"Taking my final exam," he replied dryly. "Hayako, if you please?"

Naruto glanced inquisitively from one to the other, but he moved off of the wind spirit without protest. Hayako leapt nimbly to her feet, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Very well, Uchiha-san." _So Naruto did eventually tell her my name. Good for him._ Sasuke smirked as she faded into a less corporeal form, completely translucent aside from her eyes. "We may begin at any ti—URK!"

Sasuke's hand had shot out without warning, grasping the wind spirit around her throat. He immediately pushed some of his chakra into her, reordering her own until she was as solid and heavy as he was. She dangled awkwardly in his grasp, clutching at his hand with weakly prying, slender fingers. Her eyes bulged in her moon-white face.

Grinning, Sasuke pulled her close and squeezed her throat. The wind spirit wheezed.

"I assume this means I passed," he stated smugly.

"Holy hell, it sure does," Naruto exclaimed, rising to his feet. Sasuke tore his eyes away from Hayako to lock gazes with the fox demon. To his surprise and satisfaction, Naruto's eyes were filled with shocked admiration and pride. "You learned that lesson even better than I thought you would!"

"Urk-girk!" Hayako's hands continued to claw at Sasuke's grip. Smirking, Sasuke reabsorbed his chakra and let her dissolve out of his grasp. The wind spirit reappeared a few paces away, rubbing her throat with a delicate pout on her face. "Yes, you do seem to have learned very well and very quickly, Uchiha-san."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I had sufficient motivation." When Naruto glanced at him curiously, Sasuke added, "I don't have time to wait for Itachi to attack me."

To his relief, Naruto accepted that response and nodded. "That'd do it for me, too."

Hayako gazed at her beloved fox demon and sighed. A glance over her shoulder confirmed that the sun had finally dipped below the horizon.

"A deal is a deal, young Uchiha. I will take my leave." She turned to go.

"Wait a minute! You're leaving?" Naruto grabbed her arm, consternation painting lines on his face. "Why?"

Hayako smiled lovingly at him and gave him a gentle kiss. "Because I promised." Sasuke averted his eyes, tightening his lips. To his surprise, she winked at him. "Take care of my Kyuubi-sama until I come back to get him."

Sasuke stiffened. "What?"

"After all, I will outlive you." Laughing merrily, she rose into the air and dissipated, sending up a violent whirlwind before rushing out of the clearing.

Sasuke cursed under his breath. Not only had she played him, but she'd revealed their deal to Naruto, who was definitely going to take all that the wrong way. A quick glance at his companion confirmed it: Naruto was staring at him.

"You made a deal with her that if you learned the technique I taught you, she'd leave me?"

Folding his arms, Sasuke glared at him defiantly. "Something like that."

"Why the hell would you do that?" Naruto asked incredulously.

To his horror, Sasuke felt the beginnings of a blush heat his face. "Don't read too much into it. She was planning to marry you, and we're on a mission. We don't have time for you to settle down with some girl who 'made you hers'."

Naruto's eyes widened comically. "She said that??"

"Yes."

Naruto stared at him for a moment longer, then tipped his head back and let out a heartfelt groan.

"Sasuke, you asshole, she didn't mean 'settle down'! She's a wind spirit!"

The brunet frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"They don't settle down with one person forever, you idiot! I was going to get laid! Repeatedly! Whenever she happened to run into me!"

Somehow, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for that, but he did avert his gaze again. "Regardless, she was a distraction we couldn't afford. You'll have plenty of time for getting laid later."

Naruto groaned again, pulling at his hair in frustration. "I _hate_ you! I hate you so much!!" He waved his hands desperately at the sky. "Hayako!! Come baaaaack!"

Coughing discreetly, Sasuke moved over to his pack and pulled the bundled tent off the top. "She's long gone. We should probably bunk down here, eat some rations. Unlike a certain someone, I haven't been gorging myself all day."

"Hate you, hate you, hate you. You _suck_. You are the suckiest suck in the history of sucktards!" Naruto was working himself into a lather, storming back and forth. "Do you know how long it's been since I've gotten laid? _Do you?_ Arrrrrgh!!"

"Then a few more nights of sexual frustration won't kill you," Sasuke replied matter-of-factly. He set up the tent with short, practiced movements. The heat of Naruto's glare burned into his back. Nonchalantly, Sasuke reached into his pack and pulled out a ration bar, opening it and innocently glancing up at the enraged demon. "Hungry?"

Naruto made a noise like steam escaping from a kettle, pivoted on his heel, and stormed into the forest.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke called after him.

"To take care of something! Shut the hell up!" was the snarled reply.

Smothering his laughter, Sasuke settled down in front of the tent and began to eat. After a long day's training and frustration, he was more than ready to relax.

And if Naruto was now a little uncomfortable, well, the dobe'd had it coming.

* * *

There was a strange pressure under his ribs, tugging insistently at him. Stifling a low moan, Naruto peeled his eyes open and stared at the dark roof of the tent. Sasuke had managed to sprawl atop Naruto's chest in his sleep, his sleeping bag fallen down to his waist. Naruto's arms were wound securely around the younger man's back. He yawned irritably.

He should wake Sasuke up, just for the satisfaction of seeing him splutter. They'd started off with Naruto as the big spoon. This new position had to be Sasuke's fault. The strange tugging in his chest, which had woken him in the first place, made him hesitate before waking his utterly infuriating master. Carefully, he tugged Sasuke's sleeping bag up, tucked Sasuke's arms inside, and gingerly rolled the young man onto his back. Sasuke frowned and muttered, rolling onto his other side and shifting about. Naruto left a warm hand on the brunet's side for a lingering moment, waiting until Sasuke had settled back into a deep sleep. Silently, he unzipped the tent, slipped out, and zipped it back up.

He had to go. Right now.

The pressure in his chest grew steadily worse, pushing out against his ribs. Clutching his arms to his chest, Naruto staggered blindly into the forest. Insects quieted as he passed them, moonlight glancing off the low-lying vegetation before him. He kept trudging forward, gritting his teeth.

He had to get away from Sasuke. Sasuke was in danger. He had to get away. Couldn't let Sasuke get hurt. Couldn't…

Without warning, Naruto stopped walking, and he hunched over, gasping for breath. A large river cut lazily through the ground a few meters away, hissing quietly in a few isolated, shallow pools. Twisting, Naruto glanced back at the forest he'd unknowingly wandered out of. The pressure in his chest was unbearable, making his claws dig into his shirt and his eyes burn red. He could feel power rising within him, wrested up by an outside source…

A sound to his right made him straighten, and he spun around, sharpened teeth bared. A man stood before him, his back to the moon. Despite the shadows obscuring his face, Naruto recognized him instantly. His eyes narrowed.

"Itachi."

The Uchiha in question stared at him. "Kyuubi no Kitsune."

The voice set his blood to boiling, and the pressure in his chest erupted. Fire blazed in his veins, deepening the whisker marks on his cheeks and staining his hair red. Naruto fought against the transformation, retaining his human form by the skin of his teeth.

"Why are you here?" he ground out.

Itachi seemed to hesitate, but a large series of clouds suddenly obscured the moon, bathing them in darkness. Naruto's eyes adjusted instantly. The older brother's face looked haggard, even though his expression was inscrutable.

"I've come for what's mine," Itachi finally stated.

"The hell you have," Naruto spat. "You were the coward who hid when Sasuke released me. Why draw me away from him?"

"You can make your Choice when he follows you here." Itachi's Sharingan-lit eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Suddenly, the river made sense. Itachi was trying to weaken him with the presence of water. Fat chance of that. Fur sprouted on Naruto's hands as he stared at the elder Uchiha. He couldn't let this happen. Sasuke would eventually wake up, and he would follow Naruto's trail here. It was inevitable; he'd be like a lamb to the slaughter. Naruto's fists clenched, and he pinned Itachi with a harsh gaze.

"Leave here now, Itachi. I will not be making my Choice tonight."

"You will." Itachi never moved from his position.

"I won't. If I kill Sasuke, I'm stuck with you. If I kill you, Sasuke'll be pissed. This is a no-win situation for me. I'm not Choosing."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Why should that matter to you? You're used to killing Uchihas."

"So are you."

At the comment, a murderous gleam entered Itachi's gaze, and the man took a halting step forward. "And you know exactly why that's the case, don't you?"

Naruto lifted his chin, ignoring the spike of guilt. "I do. You're the one who doesn't have all the facts."

The rage slowly wafting up from the other man was palpable. "Monster," Itachi hissed. "I'll make you pay."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "No. You won't. Not tonight."

As Itachi opened his mouth, Naruto closed his eyes and let his power flood into him. Fire enveloped his body, burning mightily as he released his human form and swelled. He felt himself grow past the towering trees behind him, nine tails erupting from his back. As he regained his true form, leaning over the elder Uchiha brother, he bit back the crazed urge to laugh. This pitiful mortal, who had stumbled back from his fiery body, thought he could force Kyuubi no Kitsune to do something against his wishes? The arrogance! The _insolence!_ He should destroy the human for even _daring_ to insult him so!

Raising one hands wreathed in flames, he reached for Itachi. The man staggered away, his fear burning Kyuubi's nostrils, and began shouting something nonsensical. The higher pitch of his terrified voice made him sound like—

_Sasuke_.

In a heartbeat, Kyuubi's ability to reason returned. He couldn't kill Itachi. He just couldn't. Not now, not after everything he'd done. Hissing, he withdrew his hand.

"**Uchiha Itachi. I have chosen to spare your life,**" he declared thunderously. "**Should you cross my path again, I will not be so lenient.**"

The elder Uchiha brother stared at him, his trembling hands the only visual clue to his emotional state. Itachi slowly shook his head.

"No. This ends tonight, demon. The hell you brought upon me, upon my family. It ends tonight." He reached into his Akatsuki cloak, drawing out a large, ancient-looking scroll. Kyuubi's red eyes widened.

"**This ends when I _SAY_ it ends, mortal!**" he roared. Itachi's hands went white as they gripped the scroll. "**I have told you to leave. Begone!**"

Instead of complying, Itachi unrolled the scroll with unsteady hands. Kyuubi roared in fury.

A niggle at the base of his spine caught his attention. Sasuke was coming. He was going to be forced to Choose.

He had to do something. NOW.

Gathering up his power, Kyuubi ignored the pain in his enslavement band and cast a circle of flames around Itachi. The elder Uchiha brother gasped, staring up at him with wide eyes. Kyuubi grimaced.

"**BEGONE!**"

Itachi was enveloped in fire. He let out a short scream, then abruptly disappeared with the flames. The scroll dropped to the charred ground. As if on cue, the dark clouds up above fled from the moon, bathing the giant fox in moonlight.

As soon as the clouds vanished, Kyuubi's enslavement band struck with a vengeance, sending crippling waves of pain throughout his entire body. Screaming, he lost his fiery form and crumpled to the ground as a human. He writhed in excruciating pain, skin shredding randomly. He could feel the moon god's fury rise with each beat of his heart, and a crushing pain encapsulated the vital organ. His screams cut off, but his jaw remained parted as he strained against the horrific agony.

"NARUTO!"

Hands were suddenly pressing against him, trying to staunch the vigorous bloodflow. The pressure only increased the pain, and a choked off shriek managed to escape his throat. It was strange… Beneath the pain he could feel an echo of the same pain, laced with fear and concern. Emotions that weren't his. Was he growing delirious?

"Naruto, Naruto, damn it, come on, don't do this, FUCK!"

Naruto's eyes rolled wildly in his head, but he was blind from all the blood. He clawed at the ground, but his grip grew weaker. _Am I dying?_ he wondered hysterically. Dying was bad. He didn't want to die.

"Naruto! Naruto, come on!" The strange voice cursed again, and an awful weight settled upon his abdomen. "Don't you dare die on me!"

The weight spread out, pressing against his chest, and his agony peaked. This was it, he couldn't take any more, he was going to—

Abruptly, the pain disappeared. Shaking, Naruto gasped for breath. The crushing vice around his heart, the feeling of his skin being flayed off, it all disappeared. He could feel his skin sluggishly knitting back together.

Unable to deal with the shock of sudden relief, a few tears slipped out of his eyes. He was alive. He was healing. The pain was over.

As the haze of agony lifted, he felt a tide of foreign emotions rush over him. Desperate fear, concern, anxiety, horror, panic, and others swam inside his chest. Blinking slowly to clear his vision, Naruto managed to decipher the image floating in front of him. Sasuke was lying on top of him, cheek to cheek, and he was hissing out a non-stop litany of curses and desperate pleas for Naruto to stop hurting. Naruto breathed slowly and carefully, waiting as the last of his injuries healed.

After a few minutes of lying there, Sasuke lifted his head and stared down at him, worry written plainly on his face.

"Naruto! Are you alright? What the hell happened to you?? Was Itachi here? Where is he now?"

Fear remained, followed by relief, desperate affection, frustration, anger, and another healthy dollop of concern. Naruto's eyes widened.

_These are Sasuke's emotions. I'm actually feeling Sasuke's feelings for me._ Swallowing carefully, he croaked out, "I'll be fine. Itachi was here, but I sent him away. I couldn't risk be forced into the Choosing ritual."

Sasuke sat up, resting on Naruto's hips. "You sent him away? Where?"

The fox demon took a moment to answer, momentarily transfixed by the bloodied crystal dangling from Sasuke's neck. "The other side of the Fire Country. It'll take him weeks to catch up."

The echo of emotions began to fade, but he still caught the rush of relief and fondness that came from Sasuke. The emotions belied the scowl on Sasuke's face.

"So much for my rushed training. Who knows when I'll get another chance to take him on," he muttered irritably.

Before Sasuke could rise from his position, Naruto darted a hand out and cupped Sasuke's cheek. The young man stilled in surprise.

Naruto trailed his eyes over Sasuke's face. This young man cared for him. Seriously cared for him. He'd been beside himself with worry that Naruto wouldn't pull through. Warmth spread throughout the fox demon's chest, and he swallowed around a sudden lump in his throat.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

The young man shifted awkwardly at Naruto's solemn tone. "You're welcome. What for?"

"For saving me," he replied quietly.

Sasuke stared down at him, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. "Don't mention it." Clearing his throat, he rose to his feet and wandered over to the charred spot where Itachi once stood. He reached down and picked up the scroll, eyes widening as he realized what it was. "How the hell did Itachi get his hands on the master scroll?"

Naruto gingerly rose to his feet, then walked over to Sasuke's side. "I don't know."

"That bastard! What the hell was he—"

Naruto cut him off by placing his hands on the young man's shoulders. "Sasuke. I don't know why your crazy brother did what he did, but he's out of the picture for now. Can we please go back to bed?"

Sasuke must have heard the faint, desperate note in his voice. He nodded shortly, rolling up the scroll and placing a hand on Naruto's back. They trudged quietly back into the forest, giving Naruto time to contemplate their newly deepened bond.

He actually felt Sasuke's emotions firsthand. Their link now went two ways. He sighed wearily, earning himself a worried look from his companion.

Talking to Sasuke about this was going to be a bitch.

* * *

Itachi gasped as he suddenly exploded back into being, landing heavily in the dirt. His entire body ached.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he remained lying face-down for a long moment. He'd almost ended it all. Either he was dead, and his brother could finally move on with his life, or his brother was dead and he could take his own life, sentencing the demon to rot away in captivity for the rest of eternity.

That _monster_. That horrible creature that'd filled his head with demonic thoughts. _He_ was the reason that Itachi had slaughtered his family.

Although, when he thought about it, the monster's voice didn't match the one from his memories. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Was Itachi responsible after all? Or was he right to assign blame?

"Ah, Itachi-kun. You were sent a long ways, weren't you!"

The deep, powerful voice froze every muscle in Itachi's body. With great effort, he managed to lift his head. Susanoo stood before him, tugging on his beard with a mischievous smile. Fighting down a grimace at the pain, Itachi drew in his knees and bowed before the storm god.

"I humbly apologize, Susanoo-kami-sama, I—"

The god waved away his apologies. "Nonsense, nonsense! You completed your task perfectly!"

He did? "My lord?"

"I wanted to see if you could deepen the bond between those two, and you have admirably succeeded! Armed with the scroll you dropped, as well, I suspect that I will indeed have the result I'm hoping for." Susanoo grinned, his glee punctuated by a thunderclap.

"Kyuubi shall be freed."

* * *

**Author's note****: **Ironically, I hate chocolate. I was only able to write that at all by taking my experiences with my favorite foods and replacing it. As for how intensely he reacted, well...let's just say that I'm the girl in the restaurant who makes other people say, "I'll have what she's having."

Next chapter, oh god, next chapter. Sand. Gaara. At long, long last, I get to write Gaara!!!!! (faints happily)

Edit: Thank you all for making me feel so loved. A response like you guys gave me is what gives me the mojo to keep going!! *hugs wonderful, lovely, fantastic reviewers* Love, love love. I adore you.


	16. Foxy

**Author's note:** I'm back! It's thanks to all of you lovely, wonderful reviewers who made me feel like my efforts last time were worthwhile. You guys are the best, really.

This chapter needs special shout-outs to Diana and Jeannie, who kept enduring my long plotting sessions, to Jay for his support, and to Sheron for pointing out a very valid flaw. I tried to start correcting that in this chapter, and I promise to keep working on it. Much loves!

This chapter was so much fun to write. I hope you guys have nearly as much fun reading it.

Enjoy.

* * *

Sasuke chewed thoughtfully on his dry rations, squinting through the early morning mist into the surrounding forest. Naruto was still nowhere to be seen, and he'd left more than an hour ago to hunt for his own breakfast after glowering at the government-issued food in his pack. Continuing to scan the surrounding area, the Uchiha heir mused over his companion's strange behavior.

Ever since the previous night's aborted confrontation with Itachi and the subsequent punishment by Kyuubi's enslaver, Naruto had been oddly subdued. He'd barely said two words to Sasuke this morning, and considering the fact that they'd somehow managed to become completely entangled overnight, the fact that Naruto hadn't teased Sasuke at all as they separated was enough to raise a few red flags. He just kept giving the brunet a bemused look, almost like he had no idea who or what Sasuke was. Then, on a flimsy excuse, Naruto had gone fleeing into the forest.

It was as if, for whatever reason, Naruto now felt like he needed to avoid his master. The very thought caused Sasuke to clench his teeth.

Disgruntled, Sasuke savagely tore off another bite of his rations. After everything Sasuke had done, after coming to Naruto's rescue when the demon was being _killed_ by an unknown force, after not killing Naruto with his own hands for sending away his brother, the demon avoided him? Naruto should've been on his knees, _thanking_ him for being such a reasonable, understanding, thoughtful person!

In the middle of his internal ranting, Sasuke's stomach clenched queasily at the reminder of the horrific night they'd had. Waking up alone, crystal on his chest burning, and rushing out of the tent only to be nearly crippled by the backwash of pain and terror from his demonic companion… Every time he closed his eyes, Sasuke could still see the broken and bloodied body writhing on the ground, soundlessly screaming. The Uchiha heir had been forced to fight through his own panic and pain just to get to the demon's side, and when he'd placed his hands upon Naruto's chest, nothing had happened. For a horrible moment, he'd honestly thought that Naruto was going to die in front of him.

But then Sasuke had recalled Naruto's method of teaching him chakra control. Full body contact. If he could force that wind spirit's chakra into order, maybe he could force the demon's chakra to do the same. With that in mind, Sasuke had sprawled across the demon, wincing as the escalating pain transmitted through the crystal, and focused on directing Naruto's chakra. Not only was it a chaotic mess, but there were also tendrils of moon-white chakra mixed in with it, breaking up the chakra streams. On impulse, Sasuke tried to separate the white chakra, which resisted. When the Uchiha heir pushed, the white chakra suddenly gave way and disappeared, leaving the red, demonic chakra to jump and start fitfully in its wake.

The entire time, Naruto's crystal had burned against his chest, searing him like a hot poker. It was only as Sasuke tried to soothe the fractured chakra that the stone cooled, and for a minute, he'd wondered if the cooling stone meant that he was too late.

The awed look that Naruto gave him as Sasuke had pulled away caused that terrible thought to flee his mind. It was that same look that the demon had been giving him all morning, and each time he saw it, it made Sasuke a little more uncomfortable. It made him feel like somewhere, somehow, he was being put up on a pedestal, and he'd long since learned that the fall from one of those was short and painful.

Sighing, Sasuke choked down another bite and wrapped the remainder of his rations. There wasn't anything he could do about Naruto's attitude until the bastard manned up and came back to the clearing, and he'd already lost his appetite. As he placed the bar into his pack, Sasuke paused.

The master scroll sat innocuously atop his clothes, its blood red parchment bright in the dim morning light.

Sasuke cast a quick glance around the clearing, then returned his gaze to the scroll. The last time he'd seen it, two hundred years in the past, the scroll had filled him with horrific images of torture and a dark voice that thundered within his skull. Truthfully, he was in no hurry to experience that again.

Unfortunately, he saw no other way to answer his questions about this bond he had with Naruto. Any time he asked the demon a question lately, all he got in return was, "I don't know."

Whoever was on the other side of this scroll sure as hell knew. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke lifted a hand, bit sharply on his thumb, and then reached down to smear his blood upon the dark scroll. As it had in the past, his blood sank into the parchment, staining it black. Sasuke took another fortifying breath, checked once more for Naruto's presence, and picked it up.

When nothing happened, he relaxed minutely and opened the scroll.

The parchment was blank.

Startled, Sasuke stared at the paper in front of him. Just the night before, the scroll had been filled with unintelligible writing. Why was it blank? Had Itachi somehow managed to tamper with it? Was it a fake?

Sasuke scowled furiously. How the hell had Itachi gotten his hands on the master scroll, anyway? How far in advance had he planned Kyuubi's release? Had someone orchestrated this whole thing?

"Who _are_ you?" he hissed at the unresponsive parchment. When it failed to respond, Sasuke haphazardly rolled it up and threw it into his pack. "Son of a bitch!"

"Who's a son of a bitch now?" came the mild reply as Naruto stepped into the clearing, his left arm crooked to hold several small objects. "I hope it's not me."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. "Not this time. What are you carrying? Bombs?"

The fox demon rolled his eyes. "No, moron. It's, um. They're for you."

The Uchiha heir stared at Naruto, who was suddenly avoiding Sasuke's eyes and shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.

"…For me."

"Well, yeah." Coughing discreetly, Naruto walked over to him, grabbed one small object in each hand, and held them out. "Here."

Sasuke blinked. He stared. And he blinked again. "…Tomatoes?"

Arms still outstretched, Naruto rolled his shoulders defensively. "Yes, tomatoes. I thought they were your big thing."

Black eyes finally broke away from the two round, ripe, perfect fruits. "Where the hell did you find those?"

"Well," Naruto cleared his throat and glanced away. "I technically didn't. I found a couple of berries in the forest and turned them into…" He shook his head. "I thought you might like them for breakfast instead of that brick you call food."

Cautiously, Sasuke plucked the tomatoes out of the demon's hands and gave them a critical once-over. They seemed real, they smelled right, and they felt perfectly smooth and soft under his fingers. Against his will, Sasuke's mouth started to water. Suspicious, he glared at Naruto.

"So, out of the kindness of your heart, you decided to _make_ me my favorite vegetable?"

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and glared back at him. "Is that a crime?"

An awful thought occurred to Sasuke, causing his eyes to widen. "Are you hitting on me?"

"What?" To Sasuke's amazement, Naruto's cheeks turned red. "No! Jeez, you saved my life last night. Aren't I allowed to do something nice for you?"

That would explain the action, but not the blush, Sasuke noted idly. "You never do nice things for me."

"I made you a special breakfast, for all the good it did me," he protested petulantly.

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, a devilish streak running through him. "Tell the truth. You can't help but adore the man who saved your life against incredible odds."

"Shut the hell up. That is _not_ true."

"What were the words you used before? Young and virile?" An evil smirk was crossing his face, and Sasuke did nothing to stop it. "And you, an ancient demon with no outlet. It must be _killing_ you to be around someone like me, what with your taste for men."

"Sasuke…" the demon growled warningly.

Sasuke lifted one of the tomatoes to his lips, inhaled its aroma, and took a luxurious bite. As the wonderful flavor swept over his tongue, he closed his eyes in exaggerated enjoyment. "Mmmm."

"Oh come on, it can't taste that good."

Sasuke moaned. When some of the tomato's juice ran down his chin, he slowly stuck out his tongue and lapped it up, keeping his eyes closed.

"Dammit, is that what I did?"

Opening his eyes to half-mast, Sasuke placed the untouched tomato in his lap and leaned back on his stone perch, smirking triumphantly. "Worse."

The red-faced demon glowered. "That's not my fault. I'd never had chocolate before. You eat tomatoes all the time."

"True, I do, but none that are _specially made_ for me." At the sight of Naruto's discomfiture, Sasuke's smirk grew into a grin. He was amazed by how easy it was to turn the demon's torment back upon him. Fondling the bitten tomato with his fingers, he added, "Maybe all of your insistence that I'm attracted to you is nothing more than projection. You dirty old man, you."

Naruto threw his head back and groaned. "I've created a monster. _Fine_, you don't want me doing nice things for you? I fucking _won't!_"

With that, Naruto snapped his fingers. The tomatoes dissolved into handfuls of red berries. Sasuke frowned.

"Hey. I _was_ eating them, you know," he stated irritably. Naruto grunted and folded his arms over his chest, stalking over to a nearby boulder and plopping down onto it. The fox demon stuck his tongue out at Sasuke.

"If you're mean to me, no tomatoes."

The Uchiha heir pursed his lips, eyeing the berries in his hand with distaste. "I didn't take away your chocolate, and you were being mean to _me_." He pinned Naruto with a shrewd gaze. "In fact, I know you have some in your pack right now."

Silence.

The berries turned back into tomatoes.

Grinning in triumph, Sasuke continued eating his beloved vegetable and ignored the fox demon's baleful look.

"…Bastard," Naruto muttered before he stormed over to his pack, clearly intent on rescuing his chocolate. Sasuke chuckled.

"So," he started after swallowing, "now that I've mastered chakra control and you've stopped avoiding me, can we move on?"

Naruto swung his head to glare at him, a partially unwrapped chocolate bar clenched in his teeth. "I wann't aboiding you."

"You were. Probably overcome by your animal lust for me." He ignored Naruto's growl, pausing to take another bite. After he swallowed, he continued, "You said something about my manipulating your chakra. Were you going to feed it into me, or what?"

The blond man presented Sasuke with his back, but after a moment he glumly replied, "You're supposed to tap into the link and get it for yourself."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the other man's sullen demeanor and snorted. "You can dish it out, but you sure can't take a joke. Alright, I'll figure this out for myself."

Finishing his tomato and carefully tucking the other atop his clothes in his pack, Sasuke folded his legs on the boulder, faced Naruto, and closed his eyes. The heat in his chest was a constant presence now, and he could feel the power hiding behind it. He tried focusing his chakra around the heat, but it had no effect. Frowning, he imagined poking it with a finger. No response.

_Fine_, he thought caustically. _Maybe to find the link in the first place, I need to meditate on it._ Focusing on that heat, Sasuke slipped deeper into his own head.

At first, he didn't see anything in the darkness of his cleared mind. Then, slowly, he saw a faint, red and blue thread appear before his eyes. The blue he could already guess came from himself, so he zeroed in on the red part of the thread. With cautious mental fingers, he touched the thread. He could feel the demonic chakra waiting on the other end, ready to rush into him at a moment's notice. Smiling, Sasuke mentally kept his hand on the link and opened his eyes. When he saw that Naruto had turned to pout at him over his shoulder, he haughtily lifted his chin.

"Figured it out, dobe." Smugly, Sasuke gave the connection a sharp tug.

Everything went red.

* * *

Watching Sasuke spontaneously erupt into flames was _not_ Naruto's idea of a good time.

Yelping, he leapt to his feet and rushed over to the engulfed brunet. _Crap, I've killed him!_ he thought wildly, reaching out his hands to awkwardly pat at the fire. Instead of responding to his touch, the flames grew larger and larger, doubling the silent Uchiha's size. In desperation, Naruto tried to cut off the power siphon, but it resisted his attempts.

Abruptly, the fire went out, and a large form slowly slumped onto its side. Lowering his hands, Naruto stared at the shape in amazement. He swallowed and crouched down, poking it gently.

"Uh…Sasuke?"

He didn't respond, seemingly out cold. Incredulous, Naruto ran a hand over the black hide.

Sasuke had been transformed into a tremendous black fox. A gorgeous, silky-furred, well-muscled, naked black fox. His clothes must have burned off during the transformation.

_Well_, he mused, clearing his throat, _that was unexpected_. The introduction of so much fox demon chakra must have temporarily overwhelmed the younger man for it to manifest this way. Granted, Sasuke made a really good-looking fox, but…

…A really, really good-looking fox.

Clearing his throat again, Naruto straightened and glanced around their campsite. He had no idea what kind of mood Sasuke would be in when he woke up, but he had a feeling that a little more kissing up might be in order. With a snap of his fingers, the tent and sleeping bags were bundled up and strapped atop his pack. After carefully closing Sasuke's pack, Naruto shrugged one bag onto each shoulder, concentrated, and turned them and his clothes into fur as he melted into his own fox form. His tails swirled anxiously as he padded over to Sasuke's side and sat down. He frowned down at his unconscious companion.

Naruto could admit that he'd been avoiding Sasuke this morning. He couldn't help it! The idea of sharing such an intimate bond with someone scared the crap out of him. Knowing in an abstract sense that Sasuke could share his emotions and actually _feeling_ someone else's were two completely different things. He'd spent his entire life being independent, detached from his companions on some level. This kind of emotional bond was way outside his comfort zone.

Ears pinned back against his head, Kyuubi averted his gaze from the black fox. If he were completely honest, the revelation of Sasuke's true attitude towards him had contributed to his avoidance. He'd been deeply cared about before, by his wives, his comrades, his various lovers and subjects, but not once in all of his years had someone actually _worried_ about him. Why should they have? He was _Kyuubi_, the most powerful being under the gods. What could possibly happen to _him_?

Well, aside from eternal enslavement, but he was still working on that.

But Sasuke, the one person who shouldn't give a damn if Kyuubi were happy or healthy or even alive beyond being able to fulfill the Uchiha's wishes, actually worried about him. True, Naruto had been dying in front of him at the time, but so far this morning, every time Sasuke had thought about the night before, the bond had let through Sasuke's new wave of worry and consternation. The younger man wouldn't admit it, and just by looking at him the demon wouldn't know, but Sasuke was apparently a worrywart when it came to Naruto's wellbeing.

Naruto didn't know what to do with that. He'd avoided the whole thing by running off to hunt, and three rabbits and some bird eggs later, he still hadn't known how to respond to it. In the end, he'd brought Sasuke a token of his appreciation, for all the good that ever did him. The little bastard had teased him mercilessly, even though he wasn't nearly as good at it as Naruto himself was. When Naruto did it, it was _funny_.

And just because Sasuke was, in fact, a sexy bastard that Naruto was _starting_ to like in some miniscule, obscure, insignificant way, it didn't mean that the fox demon would put up with teasing like that. He'd just…have to get him back somehow.

The black fox stirred, groaning loudly and scattering Kyuubi's plots to the wind. Tentatively, the nine-tailed fox prodded Sasuke's side with a large paw.

"Sasuke? You okay there, buddy?"

Midnight eyes opened and squinted up at him with a distinct lack of comprehension. Several sharp scents were sent at Kyuubi, followed by a quiet huffing noise. After a moment, the surprised demon translated it as "Many-tails?"

"Uh," Kyuubi replied verbally. Sasuke blinked his eyes open wide, abruptly grinned, and rolled to his feet. The black fox practically leapt into Kyuubi's personal space, sniffing at him.

_"Many-tails!"_ Sasuke backed away and continued grinning at him, his single tail wagging slowly back and forth. _"Happy!"_

"Um…"

Sasuke let out a sharp yip and bowed low on his front legs, rump up in the universal canine posture for playtime. He yipped again, hopping to the side and resuming the position.

_"Many-tails! Play!"_

Kyuubi stared. "You're high," he muttered incredulously. "High as a kite."

Sasuke darted forward, nipped Kyuubi on the ear, and leapt back away, wagging his rump in the air. _"Play!"_

Definitely a chakra high. Sasuke's inhibitions were clearly shot to hell. Despite himself, Kyuubi found himself grinning, and he lowered his center of gravity as he playfully stalked towards Sasuke.

"You want to play, do you?"

Sasuke bared his teeth, eyes glinting with mischief. _"Many-tails scared?"_

Kyuubi growled in mock-warning, snapping his teeth in Sasuke's direction. The two began to circle each other.

"I'll never be scared of you, Sasuke-teme."

_"Then play!"_ Without warning, Sasuke leapt forward and dug his claws into Kyuubi's side, snapping at Kyuubi's ears. The larger fox shook him off, returning fire by biting at Sasuke's legs, but the black fox nimbly leapt out of the way and circled around a tree.

Kyuubi couldn't help but laugh. _Little fucker is fast!_ The next time Sasuke raced forward, Kyuubi was prepared, and he leapt at the black fox with his paws outstretched. Sasuke dodged to the right, but Kyuubi still caught him on his hind flank and bit down gently on the single black tail. Sasuke yipped, spun, and closed his teeth not-so-gently on Kyuubi's shoulder.

"Ow!" Growling, Kyuubi thrust the abused shoulder into Sasuke's face and rolled on top of the smaller fox, his weight temporarily pinning the transformed human. Sasuke squirmed beneath him, growling and biting at anything within range. Kyuubi tried to keep a hold on him, and he buried his snout in Sasuke's neck with the intention of clutching it in his jaws.

Dammit, Sasuke smelled good…

His second of hesitation cost him as a powerful paw slammed into his collarbone and pushed him back just enough to let Sasuke slip free. The black fox issued a taunting bark and spun, high-tailing it into the trees. In the opposite direction they needed to go.

"Fuck!" Kyuubi tore after him, following his bizarre scent through the undergrowth. He was mid-leap over a fallen log when a furry black mass slammed into him from the side, sending them both crashing through some hedges. Sasuke landed atop Kyuubi's stomach, and he grinned down at the red fox in momentary victory. Snarling, Kyuubi got all four legs under him and shoved the black fox away. Before Sasuke could regroup, Kyuubi tackled him, biting him on the back and pushing his face into the dirt with a paw.

Which Sasuke proceeded to chew vigorously. When Kyuubi withdrew his paw with a hiss, Sasuke managed to flip over and kick him in the stomach. At that point, Kyuubi decided to go for broke and started gnawing on the side of Sasuke's face. Sasuke, naturally, took exception, and he managed to roll them both over into some mud.

From his back in the mud, Kyuubi burst out in laughter. Even as a kit, he'd never had litter-mates. He'd never gotten the chance to tussle with another fox on such a playful level before. Hell, even his fights with the other great demons weren't for _fun_, they were for displaying dominance.

This, however, was a hell of a lot of fun.

With a challenging cry, he rolled them over again, and the brawl continued.

* * *

Tsunade folded her arms over her chest, leaning back in her chair. She eyed the Anbu in her office.

"I'm not going to give you many details on this one," she warned. "I'll need you to split into two teams. One team will covertly assist Uchiha Sasuke in Sand. Something fishy's going on there, and I want him back safe and sound. The other team will find Uzumaki Naruto and bring him back here, alive. Don't worry about hurting him, since subduing him is probably going to be the hard part. Understood?"

The five Anbu bowed their heads, but the sixth man in the room, Hatake Kakashi, simply closed his book and looked up at her.

"Which team am I part of, again?" he questioned innocently. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're part of the retrieval unit." She nodded at the others. "The rest of you are dismissed. You leave tonight."

Kakashi watched the Anbu leave, waited until the door was shut, and turned back to the Hokage with curiosity in his eyes.

"Just a few days ago, you had all sorts of confidence in those two. What's changed?"

Tsunade pursed her lips. "I don't want you sharing this with the others, but I have reason to believe that Uzumaki Naruto isn't at all who he says he is. I'll need you, specifically, to get him back."

Kakashi tilted his head. "Why me?"

"You have ninken." Sighing, Tsunade rose to her feet and glanced out the window. "You'll need all the help you can get."

Kakashi's eyebrows rose, and the man actually put his book away, tucking it into the small pack on his right leg. "You really think I'm going to need ninken to take down Naruto, even with the help of two Anbu?"

"If he is who I think he is, yes." Shaking her head, Tsunade turned back to her desk and pressed the button on her intercom. "Shizune, send him in."

After a moment, Umino Iruka cautiously opened the door and entered the office. His look of dismayed confusion parried Kakashi's sudden expression of unrestrained glee.

"Kakashi-san?"

"Iruka!" In a flash, Kakashi was uncomfortably close to the schoolteacher. "You've been avoiding me. I haven't seen you the last ten times I've dropped by the school."

Iruka gave him a stern, disapproving frown. "That's because the last time I agreed to see you, I caught you lecturing my male students on the virtues of _porn_."

Kakashi waved that off. "It's not porn, it's art. Your students needed to know that."

"They're _seven_."

Tsunade cleared her throat before the argument could tread any further. "Umino-san, I asked you in here for a specific reason."

Always proper, the schoolteacher immediately turned towards her and gave an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. What was it you needed?"

Kakashi muttered something that Tsunade didn't catch, but the sharp elbow in his side from Iruka seemed to shut him up. She chose to ignore the exchange.

"Umino-san, you told me that your family has a long-standing grudge against foxes," she stated, propping her hip on the desk.

Iruka scratched at the scar on his nose. "Ah, yes, we do."

"How long-standing, exactly?"

He blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"A grudge against foxes is a rather odd thing to pass down the generations. And your entire family bears that scar, right?" she pressed, gesturing towards the mark in question.

A faint blush rose up in Iruka's cheeks. "Yes, ma'am, we do. And yes, the grudge is rather odd to hold onto, but…" His blush deepened, and he dropped his gaze. "It'll sound strange."

Inhaling sharply, Tsunade leaned forward encouragingly. "Go ahead, but what?"

He scratched at his scar, glanced warily at Kakashi, and continued, "Our family legends say that it goes all the way back to Kyuubi no Kitsune. That he, ah, betrayed us and gave us this scar."

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat. _Holy crap, I was right. Umino-san is the key!_ "It, um. It doesn't sound stupid, Umino-san," she replied shakily. "In fact, I have another question for you. If, say, Kakashi were going off to confront Kyuubi no Kitsune, what would you recommend he do?"

Both men were staring at her like she'd gone crazy, but Iruka gamely cleared his throat and replied, "Well, um. His ninken would help, as would…maybe a bit of my hair?"

Kakashi jumped in. "Your hair?"

Iruka gave him a suspicious once-over. "Yes…" he returned hesitantly. "Kyuubi no Kitsune owes my family a debt. It's possible that if you went up against him with some of my hair in a pouch, he wouldn't hurt you."

The gleam in Kakashi's lone visible eye was enough to unnerve both of the other inhabitants of the room. Kakashi grinned and held his hand out.

"I'll treasure it always."

Iruka stared at his hand like it was plotting to bite him. "Hokage-sama, why are you asking me this? Kyuubi no Kitsune was just a legend, wasn't he?"

Tsunade was quiet long enough for both men to look over at her. Sighing, she planted her hands on her hips and gazed at them gravely.

"I'm not so sure anymore." Reaching into the top drawer of her desk, she pulled out a pair of scissors. "Umino-san, I need you to give Kakashi a bit of your hair, and anything else you think he might need. If Hyuuga Neji returns with something that will help, I'll send that along as well. Kakashi?"

For once, the perverted ninja remained quiet. Satisfied, she nodded sharply.

"Bring that demon back."

The two men gave her hesitant nods and walked out of her office, murmuring quietly to each other as they shut the door. Tsunade ran a weary hand over her eyes and retreated behind her desk, slumping into her chair. After a moment's pause, she opened her bottom right drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake. She uncorked it and took a long pull, letting the magic liquid try to soothe her frayed nerves.

_What the hell am I doing?_ she mused, placing a hand flat on her desk and resting her aching forehead against it. _How the hell are they going to bring him back?_

Tsunade fucking hated being the Hokage. She couldn't sit back and let a demon waltz around in her village's name, but all she had in her arsenal thus far was her best ninjas, a hope that Kyuubi, like all other foxes of legends, would be weakened by the presence of dogs—especially the whoppers that Kakashi could pull out of his hat—and a man from a family that Kyuubi had wronged twice. With any luck, Kyuubi would be honor-bound to repay the original favor that the Umino family had tried to do for him, and with some more luck, he'd been weakened over the years and might cooperate.

Recalling her gambling history, Tsunade banged her head twice against her hand.

_Fucking hell, I hate this job._

* * *

Sasuke was wheezing for breath, trapped between a log and Many-Tails on his back. He reached out with his front legs and tried to drag himself over the obstruction, but dammit, Many-Tails was _heavy_. He forced a growl out from his crushed lungs. He would not give up!

The red fox shifted atop him, teeth sinking painfully into his right shoulder. Snarling, Sasuke swung his head around and snapped at Many-Tails.

_"Many-Tails, get off!"_ he demanded wordlessly. The demon laughed breathlessly in his ear.

"After I finally managed to pin you? Not a chance." Many-Tails grunted when Sasuke managed to slide one foreleg back and ram him in the ribs with his elbow. "Why can't you just be _affectionate_ when high? You've bitten me in places I didn't even know I _had_."

Sasuke didn't know what Many-Tails was talking about, but he wasn't going to submit. He was an alpha-male, and he was going to show Many-Tails what's what!

Through strategic squirming, Sasuke managed to free the upper half of his body. Kyuubi still gripped his lower half with his strong forelegs, but he was far enough down now that Sasuke's kicks were having an effect, his claws tearing into soft red hide. He was almost free! And as soon as he was, he'd…

…He'd…

Sasuke paused, gazing down at the large red fox in confusion. Then he looked at his own body.

"…Kyuubi?" he muttered hesitantly. The fox demon froze. "What the hell is going on?"

After a moment, Kyuubi stopped gnawing on his left haunch and lifted his head. "Ah. You've come back down, huh?"

Sasuke stared. "What?"

Kyuubi grinned at him, baring all of his teeth. "You've been floating on a chakra high for the last hour at least."

"And you're on top of me because…?"

"You were very insistent about wanting to play. It was extremely cute."

"Play…?" It suddenly occurred to Sasuke that nothing felt right. He could feel a breeze ruffling his fur, his tail was pinned somewhere uncomfortable by Kyuubi's leg, and he could smell things that he'd never smelled before. He glanced down at himself in disbelief. "Why the hell am I a fox?"

"You tell me," Kyuubi replied, finally releasing Sasuke and sitting back. "You must've taken on too much chakra at once and, uh…turned yourself into a fox."

Sasuke glared at him, causing Kyuubi to cough and glance away.

"But hey, the good news is that you've been regulating your chakra even when, um, loopy. You haven't popped back into human form," Kyuubi suggested cheerfully. "Looks like your training paid off again."

Growling, Sasuke jumped down from the log and stuck his nose in Kyuubi's face. "Did you know this might happen?"

"No." Kyuubi's grin got a little wider. "But it was fun, I'll tell you that."

Sasuke huffed, then glanced around the woods. "Our campsite?"

"Already got it covered." For a moment, Kyuubi looked like he wanted to say something else, but then he just gave Sasuke a particularly worrying grin. "And anyway, we now have the perfect mode of transportation for getting to Sand!"

A stray smell caught Sasuke's nose, and he found himself sniffing after it before he realized what he was doing. Scowling at himself, he shook his head and stomped past Kyuubi, testing out the strangeness of walking on four legs.

"Another mode of transportation?" he demanded.

Kyuubi trotted around his far side and nudged him with his shoulder, directing him west. When Sasuke scowled, the demon chuckled.

"Well, think about it. You're twice your normal size, you're running on my chakra, and you have an extra pair of legs now. We could make it to Sand in no time from here!"

Sasuke hesitated, looking down at his black legs. Kyuubi nudged him again.

"Consider it more training. If you can hold this form all the way there, you can borrow my chakra any time you need it."

That was tempting. Sasuke didn't know exactly how he got into this form in the first place, but now that he was aware of the demonic chakra cycling through him, he could feel the concentration it would take to hold a fox shape. The extra power felt like he'd been strapped into an electrical conduit, racing down his body. Honestly, he felt like he could run for hours without stopping, and if he could match Kyuubi's speed…

He experimentally clenched his toes, digging into the soft dirt. A rush of adrenaline shot through him, and he found himself grinning at his companion.

"Kyuubi. I'll race you."

The red demon fox smirked. "You're on."

In a flash, the two took off, racing through the woods at inhuman speeds. Above and around them, the forest waved its goodbyes.

* * *

Hyuuga Neji pressed through the forest far past the outskirts of Konoha, Byakugan scanning the trees. It was strange; Kyuubi's red chakra, like a faint dusting of power, was on everything, but there were also several new chakra tracks unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Green chakra, yellow, even one strange purple chakra trail. Humans didn't typically display that kind of color range, so what on earth had taken to romping around the Fire Country?

As he stepped over a stream, a strange sound broke into the quiet forest. Pausing, he turned around just in time to see a pair of eyes and a bald head disappear underneath the shallow water. Neji stared at the glistening stream.

A kappa? Did he honestly just witness a _kappa_ vanishing into water?

Unnerved, Neji turned back to the old trail he was attempting to follow. The ancient cobblestone had long since disappeared underneath grass and mosses, but his Byakugan could still pick it out. Some of the legends he'd read had pointed towards a clearing at the end of this road, one at which the final battle had been fought. Both he and the Hokage had agreed that something might remain that could verify the Kyuubi legend, and he'd willingly taken on the simple reconnaissance mission. According to his calculations, the clearing was only a few hours away from Konoha's borders.

However, the further he'd gone, the stranger the forest had become. Neji kept getting the odd sense that he was being watched, even though his finely tuned senses told him nothing. It was almost as if the forest _itself_ were taking note of him, judging him with every step, and he kept nearly catching something out of the corner of his eye—ironic for someone with nearly perfect 360o vision.

Hyuuga Neji didn't typically rattle, but this entire experience was unsettling.

As he reached the area where the clearing should have been, Neji found himself up against a solid wall of vegetation that bound the towering trees together with thick vines. Frowning, he pulled out a kunai and began to cut at the vines, but as soon as the first snapped, the rest alit with blue chakra.

_Surveillance!_

Without hesitation, Neji cast a teleportation jutsu that transported him out of range of any typical surveillance techniques. He landed in a tree and huddled against its massive trunk, watching the vegetation barrier with disgust. After a long moment, a patch of vines swelled outward and parted like a venus flytrap, revealing a head and two gleaming eyes. Neji clutched his kunai to his chest, hoping that the tree was blocking him as adequately as he thought.

The creature cast a slow look around, but it seemed to find nothing out of the ordinary. It melted back into the vines and disappeared. Casting mentally through the missing-nin files he'd read, Neji exhaled and turned back towards the village, racing through the forest as fast as he could.

The Akatsuki was here.

* * *

His lungs were burning, his legs were screaming, and his heart was hammering wildly beneath his chest, but Sasuke had never felt more exhilarated. With his new speed and power, he'd covered the rest of the Fire Country in only a couple of hours, and most of the River Country had flown by equally quickly. Only now was he starting to feel tired, and the landscape was already starting to change; the soil was sandier, the air hotter and drier. Beside him, Kyuubi was bounding effortlessly forward, muscles bunching fluidly beneath his fur. He seemed completely unfazed by a day's worth of running.

Growling, Sasuke tugged on the link and pulled a little more demonic chakra into himself. His energy instantly redoubled, and he found himself shooting ahead of the fox demon.

"Hey!" Kyuubi cried out indignantly. "That's cheating, you bastard!"

Sasuke laughed. "It's your own chakra, numbskull!"

His long ears caught some furious mumbles from the fox demon, spurring him to push himself even harder and faster. He wanted to win, he wanted—

Abruptly, the landscape changed drastically, and Sasuke broke out of a line of trees into bleak, sandy desert. The unstable sand parted beneath his feet, and with a startled yelp, Sasuke tumbled head over tail down a sand dune. He landed heavily on his back and stared up at the blue, cloudless sky. Kyuubi appeared at the top of the dune, grinning down at him.

"Have a nice fall, sweetheart?" he called down. Sasuke made a face and rolled to his feet. Kyuubi shot past him with a few well-placed bounds, then waited for him at the top of the next dune.

Sasuke scrambled up the mound and glowered at his companion. "I still won the race."

"A loss made much sweeter by the spectacular finale," Kyuubi returned in a chipper voice. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. "It's been a long time since I've been here."

"Hmph." Sasuke trotted down the next dune, followed shortly by the fox demon. "Dare I ask what happened the last time you were here?"

Kyuubi hummed thoughtfully, breaking into a run when they reached a flat stretch of land. "Truthfully, I don't remember the last time very well, but I sure remember the first time. I had a great big battle with another demon here."

Curiosity piqued, Sasuke turned an ear towards Kyuubi as he ran alongside him. "Oh?"

"Yeah. This land was hot and green back then. This guy, a great big tanuki demon by the name of Shukaku, challenged me to a fight. He used to giggle a lot, and he was a pretty creepy guy." Kyuubi broke stride to snort a gust of air at an innocent lizard. It ran away. "We had a huge battle, and it got kind of out of control. His specialty was wind, and since mine was fire, we kind of…scorched the ground raw."

Sasuke risked an amazed glance at the other fox. "_You're_ the reason that the Wind Country is a great big desert?"

"Well, uh…yeah."

The pair ran in silence as Sasuke digested that information. "So who won?"

Kyuubi snorted. "I did, of course. I've never lost against another demon."

The black fox eyed him warily. "So should we expect this Shukaku to be holding a grudge?"

To Sasuke's surprise, a fond, gentle smile settled upon Kyuubi's lips.

"Actually, we became really good friends after that. Hardly went anywhere without each other," he replied softly.

Sasuke pressed his lips together, but he refrained from replying. For some reason, he really didn't like the tone of Kyuubi's voice when he spoke of this other demon. Shaking himself sternly, he focused on crossing the scorching sands.

This Shukaku, whoever he was, was probably long gone. If he weren't, Sasuke was sure that Konoha would have heard of some giant demon rampaging—

"Wait. What happened to Shukaku after your great war?" Sasuke demanded.

Kyuubi kept running, but his head lowered slightly.

"As my second in command, he was enslaved, too."

Sasuke briefly closed his eyes. _Well, crap. We might have a grudge to deal with after all._

* * *

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, the village of Sand rose up out of the desert. Finally tiring himself, Kyuubi slowed to a halt.

"We probably shouldn't go any closer in these forms, Sasuke. They should have patrols out here somewhere."

Sasuke glared at him, poorly hiding a wheeze as he tried to catch his breath. "I know that, usuratonkachi." He planted his gorgeous black butt on the ground, tail limp behind him. "You have our packs and everything, right?"

"Yup." Gleefully anticipating what was soon to follow, Kyuubi transformed back into a clothed human and dropped the packs to either side. He grinned at Sasuke. "Your turn. Time to release all that demonic chakra."

The Uchiha heir snorted. "At least I managed to hold this form all the way here. I may have actually impressed myself."

"And your modesty knows no bounds."

He tossed Naruto a vulpine smirk. "Of course." Taking a deep breath, Sasuke released the demon fox's chakra, which spilled off him in waves. The fur and bulk melted away, revealing exactly what Naruto had expected to see. Lips twitching, Naruto covered his mouth with his right hand and fought to keep from laughing.

With a heavy groan, Sasuke straightened and stretched his arms up over his head, craning his body left and right. Naruto's chuckles began to escape past the poor barrier of his hand, causing Sasuke to glare at him.

"What the hell is your problem?" the brunet challenged.

Naruto let his eyes pointedly drop down and slowly raised his gaze, taking in every detail along the way. "Oh, nothing. I just didn't get to appreciate this when I had the chance before."

Sasuke frowned. "'Appreciate'?"

Then he looked down.

"NARUTO!" Blushing furiously, Sasuke stormed over to his pack at the laughing demon's side. "Why the hell am I naked?"

Naruto gasped out between laughs, "You burned off your clothing when you transformed. I…I knew—!"

He dissolved into laughter again. Cursing vehemently, Sasuke dug through his pack and pulled out some clothing, then roughly stepped into a pair of pants.

"You bastard," he snarled while tugging a black shirt over his head. "You could have told me!"

"Well, I knew I'd get to appreciate the view either way, but this way was far more fun," Naruto replied mirthfully. "After all, I'm nothing more than a 'dirty old man.'"

Sasuke glared up at him as he bent over to slip a sandal onto his foot. "All you did was _prove it_."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully, letting his eyes roam over the Uchiha heir. The younger man really was very attractive. Especially while he was bent over like that…

"_Naruto!_"

The blond demon started. "Yes?"

Sasuke gave him an evil eye, then tipped his chin up into the air as he straightened up. "Please _try_ to refrain from falling head over heels in love with me. I'm not really interested in an older partner."

That stung. Rolling his eyes, Naruto shrugged his pack onto his shoulders. "Fat chance, Sasuke-teme. _I'm_ not interested in pissy little bastard children."

"That look you gave me says otherwise," Sasuke returned, pulling on his own pack and starting towards the city.

Naruto scowled. "Well, the pheromones you throw at _me_ all the time say otherwise, too!"

"In your dreams! _You're_ the one attracted to _me_."

"You're the one in _denial_!"

"Fuck you!"

"You wish!"

Their argument carried them all the way to the village gates.

* * *

The Kazekage smiled as he poured over his war plans, running his fingers over the map of Konoha and its surrounding area. In a few short days, the key to his plans would be arriving, and he would finally be able to declare war. With Shukaku on his side, he couldn't lose! Finally, all of the Fire Country's greatest resources would be his for the taking.

A sudden knock on his door chased the smile from his face, and he looked up irritably.

"Enter," he called. One of his trusted guards opened the door and poked his head in, bowing respectfully.

"Kazekage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke has arrived."

The Kazekage stared at him in disbelief. "That's impossible. It's only been three days since I requested him! No one can make the trip that quickly!"

"I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, but he has in fact arrived, along with his cousin."

That gave the Kazekage pause. "Cousin? I never asked for a cousin."

His guard said nothing. Scowling, the Kazekage rolled up his map and stashed it in his desk, then spread his hands out on his desk.

"Send them in."

The guard bowed again. "Yes, Kazekage-sama."

* * *

As they waited outside the Kazekage's office, Naruto leaned close to his master and whispered, "You're still a prick."

Sasuke glared at him, but the guard reappeared before the younger man could reply.

"The Kazekage will see you now."

After shooting him a warning look, Sasuke preceded Naruto into the office. The fox demon glanced around curiously. The décor was darker than Tsunade-baachan's office, but the windows were cut into elegant stone arches that eagerly let in the dying light. A thick, crimson carpet with elegant gold stitching was crushed into submission by a dark, heavy wooden desk. The Kazekage, a tall, middle-aged man, gestured at the seats in front of the desk with a rather fake smile on his face.

"Please, sit down," the older man requested cheerfully. Glancing at Sasuke, who didn't bother to look back as he sat down, Naruto took his seat. The Kazekage settled into his own chair and pressed his fingertips together, forming a pyramid with his hands. "Now then, Uchiha-san and…?"

"Ah, Uzumaki Naruto, sir," Naruto replied, dutifully bowing his head. "I'm Sasuke's cousin."

"Yes, I heard," the Kazekage replied dubiously. "Unfortunately, your Hokage was somewhat out-of-bounds in sending you along. I only allocated enough funds for Uchiha-san's participation."

Naruto waved his hands. "Oh, I'll go along for free. I really don't mind—"

"I do," came the stern reply. The Kazekage sat forward. "It is entirely against regulations to send an unpaid, unknown ninja on a mission of this kind of delicacy. While you may stay here, Uzumaki-san, I must insist that you remain either within this building or within the city with an escort."

Startled, Naruto lowered his hands and gripped his chair. "But…"

"This matter is non-negotiable." Apparently satisfied, the Kazekage turned to Sasuke and smiled. "Uchiha-san, I deeply appreciate your alacrity in response to my request. I hadn't expected you for another two days at least."

Sasuke's expression was impressively impassive. "I deemed it best to arrive as soon as possible, Kazekage-sama. Konoha holds its relationship with Sand very dear to its heart."

"Indeed, as does Sand, of course." Somehow, Naruto didn't think the man was particularly sincere. "Then you agree to participate in a few missions for us?"

_A few?_ "A few, sir?" Naruto butted in. The Kazekage gave him a distasteful glance.

Sasuke frowned as well. "I was told by the Hokage that I was being requisitioned for one mission."

The Kazekage waved his hands dismissively. "There have been one or two other missions that have come to light since then that I believe would benefit from your expertise. I'm sure they won't prolong your stay unnecessarily, and in the interest of promoting good relations between our villages, I was sure you wouldn't mind. Don't you agree, Uchiha-san?"

"Yes, I do, Kazekage-sama," Sasuke agreed in a low voice, bowing his head. "I am happy to participate."

"Wonderful!" The Kazekage abruptly rose to his feet and made his way around the desk. Sasuke and Naruto reflexively jumped to their feet as the man made his way over to them. "Then tonight we shall let you relax from your tiresome journey, and tomorrow we shall discuss your missions at length, Uchiha-san."

The Kazekage placed a hand on each young man's shoulders and guided them to the door. Naruto glanced worriedly at Sasuke, then back at the Kazekage.

"Kazekage-sama, are you _sure_—" he tried.

"Very sure." With that, he smiled and opened the door.

Two people were standing immediately outside the doorway, one an uncomfortable-looking blond woman, and the other—

Naruto stared at the achingly familiar features. Shukaku stared at him, his pale blue gaze scorching in its intensity. It was hard to breathe; his chakra wanted to explode out of him and wrap around his long-lost friend, and only by the skin of his teeth did he manage to contain it.

Dimly, he heard the Kazekage clear his throat. "Ah yes, let me introduce you to my children, Temari and Gaara. Children, meet Uchiha Sasuke-san and Uzumaki Naruto-san."

"Gaara…" Naruto breathed. _So that's what they're calling you._ Shukaku's gaze intensified, and his familiar golden chakra stole across the floor to tangle at Naruto's feet. He couldn't help it; he let some of his own chakra escape to intertwine with the tanuki demon's. Immediately, he was filled with a rush of tightly-constrained emotions, followed by one silent, angst-ridden word.

_Kyuubi-sama…_

Sasuke was speaking, but his voice sounded miles away. "I thought your son's name was Kankurou."

"That's a tragic story that I do not care to share at the moment," the Kazekage replied stiffly. "Temari, why don't you show our guests to their room?"

"I will accompany them," Shukaku stated in a firm, quiet voice. The sound washed almost painfully over Naruto, and he found himself quickly aborting an attempt to reach out and grab him.

It hurt so much to see his second-in-command, his best friend, his damn near _brother_ standing so close and so fucking far away after hundreds of years of absence. He wanted to throw the tanuki demon to the ground and punch the crap out of him, he wanted to get blasted through a wall by a pillar of sand, and he wanted to spend quiet evenings staring up at the stars and carefully not-discussing what they meant to each other. It'd been so damn long.

One look into Shukaku's eyes told him that the other demon was currently wrestling with the same emotions. He doubted that anyone else in the universe could see anything in those seemingly dead, apathetic eyes, but he could. He'd always been able to read Shukaku.

Stars above, he never wanted to be parted from this man again.

* * *

Sasuke kept his expression as inscrutable as possible, but watching Naruto stare at Gaara like he'd been hit by a train was starting to concern him. What could the demon find so fascinating with a short, creepy redhead?

He placed a hand surreptitiously on Naruto's back and gave him a gentle push forward, nodding at the two siblings.

"We appreciate your hospitality, Temari-san, Gaara-san," Sasuke stated dutifully, inclining his head. Temari nodded back to him, and Gaara's eyes unhurriedly shifted to meet his gaze. They bore into Sasuke, fathomless, cold, and calculating. The Uchiha heir felt his back stiffening in response.

Abruptly, Naruto seemed to snap back to reality beside him and started walking forward, shooting a charming smile at Temari. He gave her an exaggerated bow, sweeping his arm out to the side.

"After you, my lady," he announced grandly. Sasuke broke off his staring contest with Gaara and shot the demon a pointed glare.

Temari, for her part, merely pursed her lips and pivoted sharply, striding down the hallway. Sasuke followed a bit more quickly than Naruto and Gaara did, leaving him to walk alongside the girl. When he glanced over his shoulder, Gaara, who barely came up to Naruto's chin, stared impassively back at him. Sasuke frowned. _What the hell is this guy's problem?_

Naruto, who kept shooting glances at Gaara, was only quiet for about ten steps before he piped up with, "So, Temari-chan. You're a ninja, too?"

Her shoulders straightened. "I am. And don't call me 'chan.'"

"What?" Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Why can't I call you Temari-chan?"

Glancing over her shoulder at the blond man, she lifted a cool eyebrow. "Because we're not friends, and I'm not cute."

Naruto grinned, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I beg to differ. I think you're extremely cute."

Sasuke's teeth clenched irritably. _What is he playing at? Is he seriously trying to flirt with the daughter of a somewhat hostile government leader?_

Temari turned around smoothly and walked backwards, eyeing Naruto from head to toe. She smirked.

"You won't think I'm so 'cute' when I throw your severed balls out the window," she replied coolly. Naruto tripped over his own feet, smile wiped from his face.

"Ah, no. You're right," he mumbled.

Gaara looked at the blond man with an expression Sasuke couldn't categorize, then turned his eerie stare upon his older sister. Temari's smirk disappeared, and she muttered a quiet apology before spinning back around.

Sasuke's mind was churning. This Gaara seemed fond of staring relentlessly at either Naruto or Sasuke, and something felt off about him. Wondering if that same odd quality had sparked Naruto's instant fascination, Sasuke slipped into his Sharingan and took another look at the diminutive redhead.

Standard blue chakra. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Scowling, he switched off his blood trait and focused on keeping up with the silent blonde woman at his side. Knowing Naruto, it was entirely possible that he just had a heretofore undisclosed kink for redheads.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, however, he got a pulse from the demon through the link. It felt…apologetic. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, and he glanced at his companion, who flicked his eyes towards Temari and gave an imperceptible shrug of his shoulders as if to say, "I tried."

This, in turn, left Sasuke even more confused. What was Naruto up to?

The dim light from outside cast strange shadows in the hallway, offset by pale yellow lights in the ceiling. As they passed one particularly large set of open doors, Naruto came to a dead stop.

"Hey, cool. What's in here?"

As Gaara had automatically stopped when Naruto did, he was the first to reply.

"Our main library." The young man's voice caused the hair on the back of Sasuke's head to rise involuntarily. "Do you want to see it?"

Naruto gave the short redhead a long, intense gaze, then quirked his lips up into a grin. "Sure. Although…" He lifted his eyes and settled them upon a suspicious Sasuke. "I'm sure my cousin is plenty tired from our trip. Why don't you take him to our room, Temari-ch—ah, Temari-san, and maybe Gaara can drop me off later?"

Temari frowned at him. "You're not tired?"

Naruto winked at her, opened his mouth, then shut it. "Um. No. Not yet."

Sasuke frowned, but before he could object, Gaara spoke up in his creepy, quiet voice.

"I will bring him to his room…_Oneesan_."

Sasuke had never heard that one word issued with so much loathing. Surprised, he watched as Temari visibly swallowed and pasted a sickly smile on her face.

"Of…of course. Don't dawdle for too long." She turned towards Sasuke and ushered him forward with a wave of her hand. "After you, Sasuke-san."

Nodding hesitantly, Sasuke grudgingly moved to follow the blonde woman. As he watched over his shoulder, Naruto and Gaara stepped into the library. Gaara reached back to pull the doors shut.

There was a silver ring on Gaara's right middle finger.

Realization slammed into Sasuke. _Shukaku_. That was why they couldn't tear their eyes off each other. That was why something about Gaara seemed extremely off. And, if Shukaku had to go through anything like Kyuubi's Choosing ritual, it would explain Kankurou's sudden, "tragic" disappearance.

Which meant that the two of them had run off to reunite, bloodily or otherwise.

Shaken, but determined to hide it, Sasuke glanced at Temari and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Your younger brother is…interesting," he mentioned noncommittally.

Temari was quiet for a moment. "He had a troubled upbringing." Her blue eyes flickered over to Sasuke. "He seemed to take to your cousin, though."

"Naruto takes to everyone."

"He doesn't seem much like you," she observed casually, but there was a note in her voice that raised Sasuke's hackles.

He lifted his chin. "We're not closely related."

"No, I don't suppose you are." There was definitely a knowing quality in her tone. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, but Temari simply gave him a small smirk and stopped in the hallway, opening a heavy wooden door to their right. It revealed a room filled with the last traces of twilight, a large oak bed and a dresser the only furnishings. "Since we didn't know there'd be two of you, you'll have to share for tonight."

Sasuke nodded sharply, entering the room and dropping his pack next to the bed. "Thank you."

Temari hesitated at the door, her lips pinched, but in the end she decided against whatever she had been planning to say. Bowing shortly, she closed the door.

Sighing, Sasuke ran a weary hand over his eyes and made his way over to the window. He activated his Sharingan and swept the entire room for surveillance, booby traps, and other security measures. He dismantled two listening devices and carefully unhooked the cord meant to sound an alarm if the window were opened, but he left the surveillance jutsu on the outside of the window alone. He had no plans to escape through it tonight, and if he needed to, he could dismantle the jutsu later.

Once he was moderately satisfied with his immediate safety, Sasuke sat heavily upon the bed and put his head in his hands. His mind rushed to the unknown situation between Naruto and his ex-subordinate. What were they doing in that library? Were they fighting? Did Shukaku blame Kyuubi for his imprisonment? Or, his mind provided unhappily, were they engaging in a reunion of a "different" sort?

Sasuke ground his teeth. It was obvious that Naruto cared deeply for his ex-comrade. How deeply remained to be seen, but the fact that he could barely take his eyes off Gaara shed at least a little light on that. How Gaara felt about Naruto was the real question.

What the fuck was with Naruto's libido, anyway? Hitting on a girl like Temari? If Gaara was really Shukaku, shouldn't all of Naruto's attention have been on him?

The light bulb went off. Naruto had been trying to cover up his fascination with a person he'd "just met" by showing a similar interest in a new, attractive woman. That was why he'd apologized to Sasuke through the link—Naruto had been trying to keep their cover, and judging by Temari's words before she left, he'd failed.

Sighing again, Sasuke ground the heels of his palms into his eyes. Even knowing the reason behind Naruto's flirtation, he couldn't help but believe that there was some kernel of real desire behind it. Any time they were alone, Naruto hit on Sasuke like he was the last man on earth, but the moment anyone attractive showed up, Sasuke was dismissed. First with Sakura, then Neji, then Hayako, Temari, and now possibly Gaara. It was like Naruto was ready to fuck the next willing, attractive thing he saw. In light of that, how could Sasuke take his advances seriously?

His breath froze in his lungs temporarily, forcing a short, surprised coughing fit. _Since when do I **want** to take his advances seriously?_ he wondered incredulously. He wasn't even attracted to Naruto. He wasn't.

Even if the thought of Naruto getting involved with Gaara made him want to put his fist through the wall.

Growling under his breath, Sasuke fell back on the bed and threw his arm over his eyes. If, and he mentally stressed the _if_, he actually ever found himself wanting to pursue something with Naruto, it was possible that the demon was capable of being faithful. Naruto had mentioned being married before, and he'd certainly taken the memory of his past lover very seriously. It was possible that after being at loose ends for so long, Naruto simply didn't have enough self-control to keep from pressing his chances whenever he saw them. After all, even when they'd been acclimating to each other in Konoha, Naruto had never asked to see Sakura or Neji despite clearly being attracted to them. Once he'd gotten over his missed score with Hayako, he'd never mentioned her again, either.

The only person to consistently hold his interest was Sasuke, but even then, he didn't seem to push as hard as he did with the others. Was Naruto only interested because he was stuck with Sasuke? Or was it the other way around, and the only reason he didn't push was because of who Sasuke was?

More to the point, did Sasuke want Naruto to see past the fact that he was an Uchiha?

The silent room gave him no answers.

* * *

Naruto's heart pounded wildly in his chest as Gaara closed and locked the library doors. He was finally alone with Shukaku after seven hundred years of isolation. Throat dry, he coughed and stepped forward.

"Shukaku…" he rasped out.

The tanuki demon's back stiffened, his head lowered towards the door. One hand reaching out, Naruto took another hesitant step forward.

"Shukaku, I—"

"Don't say it," Gaara cut him off shortly. "Do not tell me that you're sorry."

Pressing his lips together, Naruto forced those exact words back. Gaara's head slowly lifted, but he still didn't turn to face his long-lost friend and commander.

"I have not endured these years of servitude for you to apologize to me," the tanuki demon continued hoarsely. Finally, he turned to face the other demon, his face contorted with pain, frustration, and potent longing. "Don't you dare belittle my loyalty that way."

Unable to stop himself, Naruto strode across the few steps separating them and bound Shukaku in a tight hug, pressing his face into the other demon's shoulder.

"Shukaku, I have never doubted your loyalty," he managed through a tight throat. "Never."

Slender arms came up to clutch him fiercely, pressing against him with a strength Naruto hadn't felt in ages. The fox demon squeezed his eyes shut, soaking in the familiar scent and chakra. Just as he always had before, Shukaku smelled like dry leaves and sand. He smelled like home.

Gaara's lips moved against his shoulder. "I never regretted my participation in your war. Not for an instant."

Naruto squeezed him tighter. "I didn't ask."

The tanuki demon snorted. "I knew what you were thinking, Kyuubi-sama."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto pulled his head back to look down at the other man. He smiled weakly. "Am I so transparent?"

Gaara smirked faintly. "As glass." His smile faded, and his eyes began to glow a familiar golden color. "Were you to ask it of me, I would leap into battle this very moment. That hasn't changed, Kyuubi-sama."

The sentiment hurt as much as it relieved the fox demon. He managed to peel one arm free and ran his fingers over the red scar on Gaara's forehead. Naruto's lips twisted down.

"They call you 'Gaara,'" he mused disapprovingly. The golden eyes flashed.

"'One who loves himself.'"

Naruto scowled. "That isn't funny."

Gaara's eyes narrowed in remembrance. "My _masters_ thought it was. Turning my symbol of devotion into a _slave name_…"

The murderous rise of chakra from the other demon was so startlingly familiar that Naruto nearly cracked a smile. Squeezing the shorter man against him, Naruto shook his head.

"You'll get your chance to free yourself of that title," he promised.

Golden eyes snapped up to his, regarding him solemnly.

"You have a plan," the tanuki demon stated matter-of-factly, as if he'd already assumed that was the case.

Pulling away, Naruto placed his hands on Gaara's shoulders and stared into his eyes intently.

"You know I would never give up on freeing us all. For the first time since this horrible thing began, both of us have been released at the same time." His eyes burned red. "We have a chance."

A dark, eager light entered Gaara's gaze. "We may not be alone. The Kazekage has had me infiltrate people from several countries. I have reason to believe that at least six of us have been recalled to active service."

Excitement burned hot through Naruto's veins. "Almost all of us at once? With that much power at hand, we might be able to buck this thing once and for all."

Gaara clutched at the hands on his shoulders. "Say the word, and I will go to war for you."

Naruto shook his head. "Not yet. But when the time comes, I'll let you know. I have a feeling that an opportunity will finally come up."

Nodding sharply, Gaara accepted Naruto's decision. "As you wish."

Wincing, Naruto released the tanuki demon. "Poor choice of words, Shukaku." He sighed, glancing around the dark library. "I won't apologize, but I do hate that it's come to this."

Gaara watched him curiously. "I admit that I was surprised to see you, even though I felt you cross the border into the Wind Country. Your chakra blast from the Fire Country startled me as well. How have you been allowed to do such things?"

Lowering his eyes, Naruto scratched at the back of his neck. "It's Sasuke's doing. He's allowed me to access more of my chakra than I've felt since we were enslaved."

Gaara's brow furrowed. "And your bond?"

"Deeper than ever. It's flat out bizarre. At times, I can even feel his emotions." Naruto shivered.

The tanuki demon's face wrinkled in sympathy. "I can't imagine. Nor can I fathom why Uchiha Sasuke would give his _slave_—" the suddenly hissed word nearly caused Naruto to flinch—"so much freedom."

Unbidden, Naruto felt a fond smile cross his face.

"That's Sasuke for you. He's a very…special person. He's been good to me."

Gaara eyed him calculatingly, then tipped his head in acknowledgement. "Then I look forward to speaking more with this…Sasuke."

Naruto's smile grew a little less genuine. Somehow, with the way Gaara said that, he was far from reassured.

Maybe he'd better keep an eye on his long-time friend and his rules-flaunting master.

If they decided to try and kill each other, Naruto was so screwed.

* * *

**Author's note:** By the way, check your alert settings, everybody. I was freaking out until I realized that this site went and disabled all of my alerts. Make sure it didn't happen to you, too. T_T

**Edit: **By the way, if you're going to leave a critique, please be kind enough to leave an email address or sign in. When someone takes the time to point out a flaw or potential flaw, I like to take the time to discuss it and figure out ways to correct the problem. I swear I don't bite.

For the people whom I can't contact, all I can say is that you made some valid points, but since I can't talk to you about it, all I can say is that you're going to have to trust me. There are answers to your questions that I haven't gotten the chance to flesh out yet.

**Second edit:** *laughs* Okay. We're putting this tomato fruit vs veggie thing to rest (although you'll notice that I referred to it as both). Most "vegetables" are actually botanical fruits (except for those that are roots, stems or leaves), but they are culinary vegetables. Culinary vegetables that are also fruits include: squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, peas, corn (kernels), eggplant, some nuts, some peppers, etc, etc, etc. Grains are also fruit. I did take a class on plant biology, loves, but I'm not going to wander around insisting that peas are my favorite fruit, haha. *hugs*


	17. Possession

**Author's note****:** I actually started this chapter back in March, but once March 12th hit, I had absolutely no free time to write. March was taken up in getting ready for Japan, April was taken up in adjusting, jumping through hoops for my scholarship, applying to MORE scholarships for my research... I love it here, and I've met some really awesome people, but darnit, I've been really busy. Throughout it all, I really, really wanted to continue writing, too. T_T

Just so you know, though, now that things are calming down again (at least, once May 27th passes and my grad school applications are finished), I fully plan to get back on the boat. My goal (my New Year's Resolution, actually, and the first I've ever made of THAT) is to update **at least once a month**. No more several-month-long hiatuses. You guys have been extremely patient, and I plan to give you the dedication you deserve. I actually knew that April was going to be a problem, which is why I started writing in early March instead of waiting, but I didn't expect March to get filled up as badly as it did. I'm sorry, and I love you all.

Note about this chap: I actually had to split this chapter. There isn't much in the way of plot progression, unfortunately, because the character development took up so much space (30 pages). Most of what I'd planned for this chap got pushed into the next one. Otherwise, this chapter would've ended up being 60 pages or so long, and I just didn't have the strength. Lol.

Short recap: The boys made it to Sand several days ahead of schedule, and the Kazekage is beginning his power plays, much to their dismay. Gaara and Naruto have been reunited, and way back in Konoha, the mind-whammy that Naruto put on Tsunade has worn off, and she's determined to find a way to stop him. Cue this chap.

Enjoy!

* * *

Naruto gave Gaara a solemn nod of acknowledgement as they reached the door to Naruto's shared quarters. A Sand ninja in black was posting guard down the hallway, and although the woman wasn't overtly watching the pair, both demons knew they were being observed. Naruto fought down the urge to clasp Gaara's arm in a proper farewell, smiling wryly.

"Thanks for the tour."

Gaara's pale blue eyes held a touch of warmth that belied the stoic expression on his face. He tipped his head minutely. "You are welcome."

After a moment more of staring at each other, Gaara briefly coiled his golden chakra around Naruto's feet, squeezed them, and released him. His lips tightened as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he merely turned and made his way down the hallway. Naruto watched him go, his chest tight with the desire to grab the other demon, hold him close, and snarl at anyone who tried to separate them again. He'd already gone several hundred years without his blood brother. Unconsciously, Naruto's fists clenched.

With any luck, they wouldn't be separated for much longer. Taking a deep breath, Naruto unfurled his fingers and turned towards the door. _Sasuke's my last hope_, he mused somberly as he reached for the handle. _If I can't get him to free me, there won't exactly be more chances coming my way._

He opened the door and stepped into the darkened room, glancing at the Uchiha heir, who was lounging on the bed and staring at the ceiling. Naruto quietly closed the door behind him as he contemplated the other man. Sasuke, for all his bluster, was still an enigma to the fox demon. Even if the enslavement band didn't force Naruto's throat to magically lock up if he even considered discussing his freedom with Sasuke, he wasn't entirely sure that he'd want to bring it up. Quite honestly, he had no idea how Sasuke would react to the idea of freeing the demon. He'd been surprisingly forbearing thus far, certainly more so than any of Naruto's former masters, but would the man go so far as to release him if he were given the chance?

With a suppressed frown, Naruto walked over to the bed and sat heavily, bouncing the other man. He forced an unrepentant grin at the glare he received in return.

_Would Sasuke want to walk away if he had the chance?_ he wondered suddenly. For some reason, the thought unsettled him. Sure, Sasuke had complained a lot when Naruto had been released—and quite a bit since then, come to think of it—but they were definitely past that level of antagonism, right? Sasuke seemed to enjoy worrying about him, and Naruto certainly enjoyed his company, so even if Sasuke managed to get his act together and release the demon from his enslavement, the younger man wouldn't just write him off, right?

The image of Sasuke walking away from him, dismissing him, burned a little hole in his gut. Despite himself, he frowned. _The hell I'll let him get away with that when this is all over._

"I take it your little reunion went well?" Sasuke's dry voice cut into Naruto's ruminations. When Naruto glanced over at him, he realized that the other man had sat up and folded his arms, and that Sasuke had been staring at him for some time.

Naruto smiled weakly. "Yeah, it went fine. We've…" His chest tightened again, but he shook off the feeling. "We've missed each other."

"Mm," Sasuke hummed noncommittally, eyeing Naruto suspiciously. "I'm sure you did."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed briefly at the other man's tone. "What? Is there something wrong with that?"

Sasuke's dark eyes studied him in the moonlight, his face partially hidden by shadows. After a moment, he seemed to come to some conclusion, and his shoulders relaxed.

"No, there's nothing wrong with that, so long as it doesn't give away our cover," Sasuke returned pointedly.

Naruto winced. "I tried to make up for that."

"By flirting with the daughter of the Kazekage."

"Hey, I was staring at his supposed son first, right? It made sense at the time," he protested.

Sasuke snorted, rising to his feet and wandering over to the window. "And I'm sure that the fact that she's pretty had nothing to do with it," he stated sarcastically.

"She's a man-eater. She'd have my balls for breakfast." The very idea made him shudder theatrically. "Not my type, thank you very much."

When Sasuke's head swung around in surprise, Naruto found his own lips pursing into a pout.

"What?" he asked defensively.

Sasuke stared at him in mock-shock. "You actually have a type? Or rather, a not-type?"

Naruto's pout got worse as a wave of indignation rose up within him. "Of course I have a not-type. What do you think I am, exactly? The local harlot?"

Sasuke smirked. "If the shoe fits."

"Hey!" Naruto rose to his feet and jabbed a finger in Sasuke's direction. "I'm a flirt, not a harlot, thank you very much."

"You nearly slept with Hayako," Sasuke pointed out.

Well, that was true. Frowning, Naruto glared at Sasuke's feet. "It's been a long time, she was pretty, and I liked her. That doesn't mean I'll have sex with anything that crosses the street."

"Hn." Sasuke turned his back to the window and leaned against it, folding his arms. He gave Naruto a once-over that left the demon with the offensive impression that Sasuke wasn't buying it, but before Naruto could stand up for his virtue, the Uchiha heir changed the subject. "I noticed that you didn't change the Kazekage's mind over these missions."

That brought Naruto up short. "Well, he's the leader of a foreign country, a man and a people that I know next to nothing about," he replied, eyebrows furrowed. "I wasn't going to tamper with his head without discussing it with you first."

Sasuke exhaled and nodded his head approvingly. "I'm glad you didn't. The Kazekage isn't known for changing his mind on a whim. You'd have alerted everyone to the fact that something was going on."

Sasuke approved of something he did. That was a first. "Doesn't adding missions count as a whim?" At the time, Naruto had wondered why Sasuke didn't object.

The Uchiha heir waved his hand dismissively. "That's a trick they all play. He's sending me on a test mission to see if I live up to my reputation."

Naruto frowned. "How can you be so sure?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Because this isn't my first ride, you know. I've been through these power games before. The Kazekage's going to test me with something faintly challenging, and when I blow through it, he'll give me the details for the real one."

_My, he's awfully cocky._ Naruto stared at him. "Is that legal?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Not particularly, but he knows that Konoha's been backed into a corner. Getting here early seems to have put time on his side, too."

"Ah." _So if we'd gotten here on time or late, he could've bitched us out about not taking him seriously, and getting here early is an "inconvenience" that lets him send Sasuke out on an extra mission without eating up scheduled time. Damned if you do, damned if you don't._ Shaking his head, Naruto clapped his hands together. "So! How are we getting around this one? Am I joining you as a fox or what?"

Sasuke frowned. "You can't."

The demon blinked. "What?"

"You can't come with me. It's a test, remember?"

"But…" Concerned, Naruto moved to stand beside him at the window. "You and Tsunade-baa-chan said that Sand's probably setting you up with all this. You'll be going into the mission with hostile ninjas around you!"

Sasuke glared at him defiantly. "So?"

Incredulous, Naruto returned, "So it'll be dangerous! Even if it's just a test, they could surround you and take you out or something! What if you get hurt?"

Sasuke lifted his chin condescendingly. "Naruto, in case you've forgotten, I'm an incredibly gifted ninja. I doubt that anything Sand has to offer can take me down, seeing as how I had to _beat _most of them personally to get my Jounin ranking. I'll be fine."

"But!" Naruto fought the urge to pace. He hadn't argued with the Kazekage because he'd assumed that Sasuke would find a way to take him along. Sasuke was actually going to leave him behind? He was going into battle with hostile ninjas all around him without any support whatsoever? "What if they catch you off guard? Anything could happen out there!"

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before, horribly, starting to laugh. "Are you _worried_ about me?"

"What? No! I just…" Naruto trailed off. Well, crap. He _was_ worried. "I just don't want you going out there alone," he muttered petulantly.

Sasuke patted him on the shoulder, but Naruto shrugged his hand off with a scowl. "I'm a big boy. I don't need you to babysit me," the brunet crooned mockingly. "I promise I won't go out and get myself killed."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You're being awfully cocky, you know. It wasn't that long ago that you were asking me for new techniques."

Sasuke glared at him. "That was for Itachi."

"And if there's an 'Itachi' here in Sand?" Naruto shot back. He smirked smugly, bumping shoulders with Sasuke as he strolled past him towards the dresser. He picked up a small, cheap notepad and fiddled with it. "I think you should bring me along, just in case."

Sasuke didn't reply, but Naruto could practically feel the other man's glare burning into his back. Grinning, he turned around.

Sasuke was no longer behind him. His chakra signature had disappeared.

"What the he—" Abruptly, a kunai whipped around him and pressed against his throat, making him catch his breath in surprise. A breath teased his right ear.

"I think I can manage," Sasuke stated haughtily. Naruto slowly turned his head to stare at the other man.

Sasuke was actively cloaking his chakra with bits of Shukaku's outwash and the natural chakra held by the earth. As far as Naruto's senses—aside from sight, sound, and smell, of course—were concerned, Sasuke was fucking invisible. How the hell had he figured that out?

At Naruto's flummoxed stare, Sasuke smirked and put his kunai away. "Someone _did_ tell you that I'm a genius, right?" he questioned teasingly, accurately reading Naruto's thoughts. "Trust me. I'll be fine. I don't need you out there."

_I don't need you_. The words struck Naruto hard, nearly knocking the wind out of him. The realization nearly made his head spin. Aside from the mess with Itachi, Sasuke _didn't_ need him. He'd been an incredibly accomplished ninja before Naruto's release, and he'd continue to be one without any help from the fox demon. Naruto blinked hard, suddenly feeling the need to sit down. For the first time in his "career" as a genie, he wasn't necessary. He might be the legendary Kyuubi no Kitsune to the rest of the world, but what was he to Sasuke? What use did he serve in his day-to-day life?

_Would Sasuke walk away from me, given the chance?_ he wondered again, faintly. _Maybe he would._

The thought shook him to the core.

Startled, but trying to hide it, Naruto folded his arms over his chest. The sudden glint of moonlight off his ring gave him pause, and he stared at it, wondering why it hadn't occurred to him earlier. "What about the fact that I can't be separated from you for too long? Are you going to leave me behind to suffer?"

Sasuke frowned, lowering his eyes to the metal band and reaching up to finger the crystal hung from his neck. "You've been able to withstand being separated from me for a few hours lately. I should feel it when the ring starts to hurt you, but I doubt the test mission will run too long."

Naruto lifted his gaze, then asked in a subdued tone, "And if it does?"

Sasuke lifted a hand to his lips, rubbing them contemplatively. "I could just summon you, couldn't I? Our bond should let me do that." He nodded decisively. "If the ring gets too bad, I'll make up some excuse and summon you to wherever I am."

Naruto nodded slowly, too distracted to argue with him. "I'll make sure to leave a double here and arrive as a fox." In his distraction, he missed the considering look Sasuke gave him. After a moment of awkward silence, the brunet continued.

"At any rate, if you're here, you can help me find out what Sand is actually planning. I doubt they're prepared for a fox demon worming his way through their documents," he offered casually.

Naruto blinked, then inhaled slowly. "You could do that yourself, if you wanted to."

Sasuke shrugged. "That's what you're here for. You're supposed to be my partner, after all."

_Partners._ The word caused his tense shoulders to relax minutely, even though the demon's stomach was still tightly clenched. He took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll do some digging while you're gone."

Sasuke made a low noise of acknowledgement, looking a little uncomfortable. He tipped his chin up and gave Naruto an arch look.

"Just try not to sleep with the staff, and don't eat them out of house and home, will you?" he demanded sarcastically.

Naruto's hackles rose instantly. "Hey! I already told you that I don't really sleep around, and I don't eat _that_ much, you prick."

Sasuke smirked. "And if they have tasty snacks in the pantry? Tasty, _exotic_ snacks, I might add?"

Naruto paused. "Well, now that I think about it, I might need something to soothe the pain. Every moment that I'm not with my dear, cherished—"

Sasuke scowled. "Oh, shut up."

"—Wonderful, desperately adored, raven-haired, dark-eyed beauty—"

"Naruto."

"—I will need to console myself with tasty foodstuffs. Or sex," he added, a bitter note entering his previously teasing tone, "whichever comes more easily."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't be a baby. I'm sure you'll be fine without me for a few hours, and the gods know I'll be fine without you for that long." With that, he began pulling off his shirt, clearly preparing for bed.

Naruto felt a little sting from that barb, but he tried to let it go. As he pulled off his own shirt and started on his pants, he tossed out, "I give you an hour, tops, before you start missing me."

Sasuke snorted, stripping down to his boxers, although he pulled out a kunai and slipped it under his pillow. "I didn't know I was that much of a masochist."

"Are you kidding me? Name me one thing about you that _doesn't_ scream masochist."

Sasuke paused, then glared at him. "Fuck you."

Naruto grinned. "That's what I thought." He leapt onto the bed and opened his arms wide. "C'mere, snuggle bunny! I need to get my quota in now before you leave me for other men."

Sasuke groaned, slipping into the cool bed. He moved close to Naruto's side, but he ignored the waiting arms and turned his back on the other man.

"Why do I put up with you?" Sasuke muttered.

Naruto's smile faded. Lowering his arms, he pressed up against Sasuke's back and curled his left arm over the other man's waist. He rested his face against Sasuke's surprisingly soft hair and sighed.

"You tell me, Sasuke," he replied quietly. "You tell me."

* * *

Tsunade felt a horrific headache blooming behind her eyes at the news from Hyuuga Neji. Her mouth practically burned for a stiff drink.

"You're positive that it was the Akatsuki?" she questioned wearily. The man nodded sharply. She exhaled, reaching up with a hand to rub at the bridge of her nose. "Fan-fucking-tastic."

Neji gazed at her contemplatively. "If I may, Hokage-sama, I would like to point out that the Akatsuki's presence at the location of the legendary battle with Kyuubi no Kitsune does lend some credence to our theory."

A stiff drink, and some hearty gambling as a chaser. That's what she needed. "With Uchiha Itachi's presence immediately before the fox showed up, I'd say we've got more than just a little proof. Dammit to hell!" Abruptly, Tsunade slammed her hands down on her desk. "I've got Sand itching to go to war, Sound stirring up trouble, the Akatsuki lurking within my borders, and a legendary demon wandering around under _my_ flag!" Leaping to her feet, the woman stormed over to the wall, glared at it, and put her fist through it with a sudden, sickening _crunch_. Behind her, Neji suppressed a flinch. "I _never_ should've taken that old bastard's advice and taken on this fucking job!"

Neji wisely remained quiet as Tsunade's rage subsided into some furious mutterings. She wrenched her arm free of the wall and began to pace within the boundaries of her office. His pale eyes tracked her cautiously.

Warily, he ventured, "Kakashi-san and the Anbu are ready to depart. Are you going to tell them to wait?" The fact that he had returned empty-handed weighed heavily upon the air between them.

Tsunade paused in her pacing, inhaled sharply, and straightened her shoulders with a huff. "No. They're already days behind those idiots." Marching to her desk, she slammed her finger down on the intercom button. "Shizune! Tell Kakashi and the Anbu accompanying him to leave immediately, and tell them I may be sending something after them."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade glared at the intercom for a moment longer. _Only one thing I can do, then._ She lifted her eyes, focusing on the man in front of her. "Hyuuga, I want you to gather up Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, and anyone else you think will be qualified for stealth. I need you to monitor the Akatsuki, and for the love of god, _don't get caught_, and _don't_ take them on. I need to know exactly how many of them are here, and what they're up to."

Neji bowed his head. "Understood, Hokage-sama."

"I'll leave you to it, then," she stated in a low voice, her eyes taking on a determined glint. She brushed past him and swept out of her office, earning an odd look from the Jounin. As she walked, she brought her fists up before her chest and began cracking her knuckles.

_Time to pay the Uchiha household a little visit._

* * *

Sasuke woke from his fitful sleep, blinking groggily at the clock on the nightstand. It was barely an hour and a half since they'd gone to bed, powerful moonlight piercing the darkness of the room. His pack, top undone, sat at the side of the window, just barely touched by the light streaming in from outside. Grunting at the brightness, Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut.

As if sensing his bedmate's unease, the still-sleeping Naruto snuffled quietly into Sasuke's hair and tightened the arm thrown about his waist. Instantly, Sasuke's discomfort increased as he felt the other man's bare chest press into his back. He swallowed hard, suddenly hyper-aware of his body.

It wasn't that he was attracted to Naruto, he mused irritably as he glared at his pillow. He'd gone his entire life without this much physical contact, and even though he'd been coping with it for several days, it was still bizarre. The sensation of the other man's skin against his own, which he hadn't had to deal with thus far, made all of Sasuke's nerve endings prickle unpleasantly. Despite knowing that Naruto needed the contact to stay healthy, Sasuke had to fight to keep himself from pulling away. Taking several long, controlled, deep breaths, he forced his muscles to relax.

_I can deal with a little bit of skin_, he sternly reminded himself. _I'm not gay, and I don't have to run screaming every time Naruto touches me._ He took another breath. _And besides, at least Naruto's behaving himself._

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Naruto's left hand drifted up his chest, fingertips softly grazing his skin. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed ominously. _Is Naruto awake?_ Bits of demonic chakra stole into him at the contact, sending shivers—of not-fucking-arousal, dammit—through Sasuke's body. Scowling, he reached up to grip Naruto's hand and still the movement.

_Fucking bastard,_ he thought furiously, twisting so he could properly snap the lecherous fox demon's head off. _Just like him to tease me when I'm just starting to __**trust**__ him—! _

As he opened his mouth, however, he realized that the blond's eyes were still shut, his face relaxed, lips parted as he breathed through his mouth. Naruto was still sound asleep. Sasuke stared at him incredulously, then flopped back down with a growl. His fingers tightened on the demon's hand.

_The asshole's feeling me up in his __**sleep**__ now?_ he fumed silently. As if responding to his thoughts, Naruto shifted closer to him, entangling their legs. He huffed sleepily into Sasuke's hair again, sending warm air ghosting over Sasuke's ear. His fingers twitched within Sasuke's grasp as if they wanted to resume their exploratory journey. Glaring at the offending limb, Sasuke pulled it away from his chest and pressed Naruto's hand flat against the bed. The man behind him grunted, but he didn't pull away, and he didn't seem to wake. After a few anxious heartbeats, when the demon seemed content to remain still, Sasuke began to gradually relax, but the feeling of the demon wrapped around him kept him on edge.

It was just…_wrong_. The whole idea of wanting a man this way, of a man wanting _him_ this way…it made Sasuke's stomach turn sour. He had a duty to his clan to see it reborn. Being with a man would kill that dream forever. And while it was true that Sasuke had never been particularly attracted to any of the girls he'd met, neither had he ever been attracted to guys! He wasn't gay, just…picky.

The fact that the first person to stir any sort of interest in him just so happened to be male didn't mean a damn thing. He wouldn't say so aloud, but to himself, Sasuke could grudgingly admit that Naruto was a faintly attractive man. The demon practically had power oozing out of his ears, and he was absolutely stunning whenever he powered up and took on his more eloquent, ethereal form. Being attracted to _that_ was little more than envy and admiration. It could happen to anyone.

Behind him, Naruto shifted, tugging his hand free of Sasuke's lax grip and placing it back on the man's chest, scratching gently with his blunt fingernails. He sighed into the back of Sasuke's hair.

"Hmph…Sasuke…" the blond murmured, pressing his hips against the younger man. Sasuke froze, breath catching in his throat until he realized that there was nothing _else_ pressed urgently against his ass. He exhaled shakily as the man slipped his right arm underneath Sasuke and wrapped it around his chest, pulling them tight against each other. Naruto's nose moved from being squashed against the back of Sasuke's head to nuzzling the rim of Sasuke's ear. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut.

_He's __**snuggling**__ me,_ he thought disbelievingly. He'd thought for a second that Naruto had been overcome with desire for him in his sleep or something, but unlike the last time Naruto had gotten amorous with him, the demon seemed to know exactly whom he was curled up with. Sasuke's back was beginning to hurt with all of the tension bound up within his muscles. Making an unhappy noise, Naruto clumsily rubbed Sasuke's chest.

"My Sasuke," he muttered in a low voice, then buried his face in the crook between Sasuke's neck and shoulder.

Shocked at the possessive tone in the sleeping man's voice, Sasuke held still. The arms about his chest tightened, and to his utter amazement, he felt teeth gently sink into his shoulder. There was another muffled "Mine" against his skin, a huff of hot air, and the man seemed to settle down, teeth still pressed against the Uchiha heir's skin. Sasuke found it hard to breathe.

He just wished it were because Naruto was squeezing the life out of him.

Instead, it was because with each passing second that Naruto clung to him so possessively, Sasuke was getting more and more inarguably aroused. The demonic chakra was still sneaking into him, and now that they were curled together so tightly, he could actually feel that Naruto, in turn, was beginning to generate some interest, and damned if that wasn't making Sasuke's little "problem" worse. He gritted his teeth.

His instincts were screaming at him, but they were all saying different things. One part of him wanted to leap off the bed clutching the sheets to himself, another wanted to flip around and beat the crap out of Naruto for touching him, another wanted to flip Naruto over, bite _him_ and see how _he_ liked being marked, and the last part was wondering just how far Naruto would go if Sasuke did something crazy, like rock his hips back against the demon's half-hard erection. His breath shot out of his nose in short bursts as he tried to regain some control of himself.

_I'm not gay, I'm not gay, I'm not gay, dammit!_ He shuddered as a tongue briefly touched his skin between the demon's teeth and Naruto's right hand slipped down to rest on Sasuke's lower abs. Sasuke's boxers grew tighter despite his best efforts. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!_

Unable to stand it for one more second, Sasuke launched himself out of the bed and placed a fist on the wall, breathing heavily through clenched and bared teeth. His body felt taught as a bowstring. Behind him, the other man was quiet for several seconds before the bedsheets began to rustle. After a moment, the noises quieted again.

"Sasuke…?"

The voice was low and sleepy, but clearly lucid. Grinding his teeth, Sasuke glanced over his shoulder. Naruto's eyes were open a crack, and the blond yawned heavily as he lifted a fist to rub at one while he gazed blearily at Sasuke through the other. Thanks to Sasuke's flight from bed, the sheets were pulled taught over Naruto's hips, leaving his torso bared to the moonlight. The muscles in said torso flexed as Naruto propped himself up on his right elbow.

"You alright?" Naruto murmured, attempting to blink himself awake. He was sleepy and rumpled, and—dammit to hell—even Sasuke thought he was alluring.

"I'm as well as can be expected," Sasuke ground out, "considering the fact that you had your paws all over me a second ago."

"Paws?" Naruto glanced at his hands, back up at Sasuke, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. His eyes opened a fraction wider, and he seemed to wake up a bit more. "Why are you out of bed? Aren't you cold?"

Sasuke belatedly noticed that the fist at his side was shaking, and he forced it into stillness. "I'm _fine_. If you hadn't been—" He cut himself off and scowled at the ground. If he insisted that Naruto's ministrations had caused him to get out of bed while his body was still betraying him, the demon would never let it go. Naruto would definitely consider that the final nail in the coffin of Sasuke's heterosexuality, and Sasuke wasn't by any means ready to let the blond hammer that one down.

Naruto heaved a gusty sigh, sat up properly, and climbed out of bed, crossing over to Sasuke's side. When the demon tried to rest his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, the other man violently flinched away. Offended, Naruto opened his mouth, but he shut it without saying anything and sniffed at the air. His eyes widened.

"Sasuke, you're—!"

"_Don't_ say it." Sasuke shot a Naruto a vicious glare. "It's not my fault."

Naruto stared at him, slowly trailed his eyes down Sasuke's body, and began to smile. "Is it _my_ fault?"

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._ "Don't flatter yourself," he spat venomously. "You of all people know that it isn't something you can control. The fact that you're here is a coincidence."

Naruto hummed noncommittally, eyeing the front of Sasuke's boxers. His erection, which had mercifully begun to wane, perked up under the scrutiny. Frustrated, Sasuke moved away from the wall and pointed a finger at the bed.

"Go back to bed, Naruto," he ordered firmly. The demon, however, continued to stare at him, nostrils flaring. His pupils suddenly contracted, irises flooding with red chakra. Discomfited, Sasuke folded his arms. "I _said_, go to _bed!_"

Naruto tilted his head, gazing at him with a faint upward twist to his lips. "Is that really what you want me to do, Sasuke?"

The brunet scowled. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto didn't reply, but after a moment, Sasuke felt something pushing at him through their bond. Deep affection was the first to be picked out, followed by amusement and a dollop of curiosity. Sasuke blinked in confusion, not comprehending why Naruto felt the need to send him these emotions.

Then it hit him.

_If you ever want to experiment…_

Sasuke closed his eyes, jaw clenched. "I thought you said you weren't interested in me," he ground out.

Naruto was quiet. Eventually, he replied, "I wasn't."

Sasuke's heart was hammering in his chest. His stomach churned unpleasantly, and he began to wonder if he was actually going to be sick. "And now?"

"I wouldn't…mind," was the careful reply. The blond hesitated. "I wouldn't mind at all."

Sasuke's jaw began to ache. "Go back to bed, Naruto."

Naruto remained before him for another tense minute, then sighed gustily. "Alright, alright."

Although the sheets rustled and stilled, Sasuke still didn't relax. His stomach was still protesting strongly, and a little devil in his ear was whispering, _Why not? You could find out once and for all. It's not like he can leave you._

Exhaling, Sasuke rubbed a hand over his eyes. _That's the damn problem_, he thought wearily. He was growing scarily more certain of what his reaction to anything with Naruto would be, and the thought made him sick. They would always be stuck together. If Sasuke completely freaked out, which he probably would, they wouldn't exactly be able to pretend they'd never seen each other before. And if Sasuke actually _liked_ it, how could he go back to pretending he was going to find some nice girl who'd shut up and bear his children for him?

At the thought of marriage, another realization crossed his mind, and his eyes snapped open. He stared at the man on the bed, who'd turned his back towards him. If he had Naruto, and they were stuck being bedmates, how on earth was Sasuke ever supposed to explain that to a woman? How could he get married when he was essentially stuck in a life-long commitment with a man?

For that matter, what on earth was he going to do with Naruto once Sasuke finally defeated Itachi? It wasn't as if he could just walk away from the demon, not with the enslavement ring acting the way it—

_I could free him._

The thought brought Sasuke up short. Strangely, the idea of freeing Kyuubi had never even crossed his mind until this moment. Was it even possible? Naruto had never brought it up, but then, he never mentioned who enslaved him, either. It was possible that Naruto wasn't _allowed_ to discuss it. The concept rattled around Sasuke's head.

_I could defeat Itachi, free Naruto, and settle down to my life. No more teasing, no more flirting, no more displays of insane power. I'd probably never see him again._

Somehow, the idea left a bad taste in his mouth. Lips twisting down, he dismissed the odd reaction to spending the rest of his life in peace. He glanced again at the man in the bed, but he didn't feel up to questioning him about it. Grimacing, he turned to his pack. _That leaves me with one option._

Despite the fact that the scroll hadn't worked the last time he touched it, Sasuke dug it out of his pack and settled onto the floor. The dark parchment gleamed in the powerful moonlight. Before he could even pull it open, he began to hear dark whispers rising around him. Gritting his teeth, he quietly unfurled the scroll.

In the powerful moonlight, words began to appear on the paper.

~_** Greetings, Uchiha Sasuke.**_ ~The silent voice pounded within his skull. ~ _**We have been waiting for you.**_ ~

* * *

Tsunade glowered at the Uchiha residence, eyeing the front door warily. Sasuke was a paranoid bastard, albeit for a good reason, and he was sure to have laid dozens of traps in preparation for any intruders. Even though her specialty was medicine, which took more than its fair share of finesse, Tsunade preferred to keep all other aspects of her life simple.

Basically, she wanted to break the door down, but she was pretty sure that Sasuke had at least one trap planned for that. When he'd been placed on probation after his house arrest, the Council had required that Sasuke turn in a confidential list of his house defenses to the Hokage. The sheer number of traps, and the awful things they would do to intruders, really made her reluctant to approach the sick man's front door, especially now that he'd gained even more experience. Even if she could probably dismantle them, it'd take time she didn't have and effort she didn't care to give. Pursing her lips, she looked at the door, then looked at the ground.

_Well, if the entrance is blocked, make your own door, right?_ Placing her hands upon the ground, she took a deep breath, steadied her chakra, and yanked hard. The dark earth rushed past her as she plummeted. After about ten meters, she halted her fall and blazed forwards, hopefully deep enough to avoid his traps.

A jolt of lightning crashed down on her just as she crossed the front edge of his house, blasting that idea to hell. Gritting her teeth against the onslaught, Tsunade pressed forward until she was somewhere underneath what she hoped was Uchiha's hallway. She turned her attentions upward, steeled herself, and sent a blast of chakra up through the earth. The dirt was carried away, and with a horrible wrenching sound, she could see up into the building. Smirking, she leapt up the hole and landed in Sasuke's living room, which was now unfortunately covered in dirt. Tsunade glanced around at the damage, then shrugged.

_I guess I misjudged. Oh well, he'll get over it. _When no more traps came her way, Tsunade began to look around. Nothing in the dirt-swamped living room bore any strange chakra signatures, although when she moved her search to the adjacent kitchen, the stove had some lingering chakra upon it. She frowned, but she moved on. Standing in the hallway, she closed her eyes and spread her fingertips, feeling for the strongest chakra marks in the house. Sasuke's, of course, was concentrated in the bedroom, but Kyuubi's…

…If she had to guess, it was coming from the back of the house. A strange, powerful chakra residue was wafting into the hallway. Strangely, or not-so-strangely after all, there was no hint of the chakra signature she'd sensed within Naruto. There was only Sasuke's and the strange, dark chakra that she assumed was Kyuubi's. She grimaced. _They're definitely one and the same._

Tentatively, Tsunade made her way towards the back of the house, sparing a quick glance at the landscaped gardens visible through the glass doors before entering what appeared to be a study. To her surprise, part of a wall had been removed, revealing a doorway. Her fists clenched, Tsunade cautiously proceeded through the ancient-looking door and down a series of treacherously dark steps. When she found herself enveloped in pitch darkness, she summoned some chakra into her outstretched hands and let the glow light the way.

The dark stones surrounding her almost felt like they were pressing inwards, ready to crush the outstandingly beautiful—if she did say so herself—interloper at a moment's notice. She almost dismissed the impression, but when she remembered that Kyuubi was involved, she kept a watchful eye out for any movement whatsoever. Interestingly, nothing happened on her way down, and, completely unharmed, she found herself entering a large chamber. As she crossed the threshold, the thick chakra residue shifted, and some torches on the wall spluttered weakly to life, little more than glowing embers. They cast just enough light for her to spot the large cabinet at the far end of the room.

Taking a deep breath, Tsunade marched over to the cabinet and held her hands out, hovering them above the stained wooden doors. The chakra signature was intense, nearly singeing her fingertips with heat, but she couldn't detect any pattern that would imply a trap. Just in case, Tsunade stepped back, created a double, and moved quickly back to the bottom of the stairs. Her double glanced at her, then reached out and yanked the doors open.

A blast of red energy swept outwards, enveloping the double. Her double disappeared with a gasp and a _pop_, and the red energy dissipated. The doors remained open, showcasing a series of small containers and what appeared to be a tiny shrine. Scowling, Tsunade sent forward another double. The double reached the cabinet without harm, and it cautiously extended a hand into the container. Immediately, a shower of white chakra rained down from the roof of the compartment, and the double hissed before it also popped out of existence. While the second trap appeared painful, it didn't look like the chakra did anything horrific like melting skin or burning the offender alive. Brushing her bangs back, Tsunade strode forward and inspected the contents of the cabinet.

There were three small, ornate pillows in front, although whatever was placed on the center pillow had been recently removed, judging by the square indentation in the fabric. The other two pillows had small, wooden boxes lying upon them. Behind those was a row of four boxes placed on two pillows apiece, and behind that sat two highly ornate, gold-plated containers on three pillows each. A small shrine sat behind all of these items, resting atop a small black pillar at the back of the container. Biting her lip, Tsunade looked over the relics, all of which probably meant something to Kyuubi. How could she know which one to take, especially if she wanted to take something that would coerce him to cooperate, but not enrage him enough to kill the bearer?

She eyed the two gold containers warily. Chances were high that they each held something important. But which one? She bit her lip. From mythology all the way to the present, the left side had been considered more important than the right. Taking a deep breath, she lifted a hand, hesitated and plunged it into the cabinet.

The white chakra came screaming down, lighting the nerves in her arm on fire. Choking back a curse, Tsunade battled against the pain and managed to close her hand on the gold container to the left of the shrine. The warmth of the box seeped into her hand and she hurriedly withdrew it. The shower of chakra ceased immediately, but the stinging sensation lingered in her skin. Grimacing, Tsunade rubbed her arm with her free hand and glared at the box.

_I sure hope to hell this is worth it._ She noted the dimming light in the room curiously as the weak torches seemed to go out. Pushing her finely controlled chakra into the side of the box, she searched and explored the fine engravings until she heard a soft _click_. As the torches were finally extinguished, she opened the box a fraction and peered inside. White light spilled from the contents onto her shocked face.

After a moment, she smiled triumphantly.

_Kyuubi no Kitsune, we've got you now._

* * *

Sasuke's head was already pounding with the force of the horrible, silent voice of the master scroll. He ground his teeth together, glaring at the parchment.

_Tell me how to free Kyuubi_, he demanded silently. There was a moment of shocked silence, followed by thunderous, evil laughter that beat against his skull like a drum.

~ _**And why, exactly, would you want to free HIM, young Sasuke?**_ ~

The words caused small blooms of black to cross his vision. He shook his head violently. _Just tell me how to do it. WHY I want to do so is none of your concern_.

Instantly, Sasuke could feel malice rising within the unseen being within the scroll. ~_** On the contrary, young Sasuke, the freedom of Kyuubi no Kitsune is entirely our concern. **_~ Sasuke's fingers turned white as they clutched the paper. ~_** You have no concept of whom you are dealing with. The Kyuubi no Kitsune is a menace, a cruel, bloodthirsty tyrant who wants nothing more than to regain his kingdom and, if possible, to steal the rightful kingdoms of others. He is NOT to be released, you foolish MORTAL. **_~

Sasuke's eyes drifted involuntarily to the man resting peacefully on the bed, the man who was almost constantly smiling and goofing around, and who genuinely seemed to care about Sasuke, whom he was involuntarily bound to. The Uchiha heir scowled.

_I refuse to believe that the man I know could be what you're describing_, he returned furiously.

Before he could continue, black ink bloomed on the page. ~_** Oh, no? **_~

Instantly, Sasuke was sucked into a vision of an ancient Kyuubi.

_The powerful man, bedecked in gleaming armor, was smiling down at a burning city as blood dripped down his arms. Screaming women and children tried to run by, but a swift flick of his claws cut them to ribbons. Before long, Shukaku appeared at his side, watching the scene impassively. Golden eyes turned to their master._

"_Enjoying yourself, Kyuubi-sama?"_

_The blond demon's lips quirked upwards into a sinister smirk. "Somewhat."_

_The screams in the village were dying out. Bodies filled the streets, some still clinging desperately to life. Kyuubi lifted a hand, igniting a ball of fire in midair. Nonchalantly, he tossed it into the streets. The screaming began anew._

"_Next time, you'll have to pick a village with more people," the fox demon mused. "This one didn't last nearly long enough."_

_Shukaku tipped his head. "I will make sure to provide better entertainment for you tomorrow, my lord."_

_Kyuubi chuckled, placing a blood-drenched hand upon his subordinate's shoulder._

"_See that you do."_

With a gasp, Sasuke tore himself free of the vision. His heart was pounding, and his stomach clenched violently. It wasn't possible, there was no way that Naruto was so cruel. There _wasn't!_

~_** No? What do you make of this?**_ ~

Head spinning, Sasuke slammed his eyes shut, but this time, it made no difference.

_Kyuubi, in his fox form, towered over the remains of a village, roaring his displeasure to the sky. Humans milled like ants around his legs, alternately hurling things at him and screaming for mercy. With another ferocious roar, Kyuubi unleashed the power of his tails and slammed them into the ground, pummeling the village into a cloud of dust._

Crying out inarticulately, Sasuke threw the scroll away from him and clamped a hand over his mouth. Bile rose in his throat. Desperately, he grabbed at the connection between the two of them, using the fox demon's chakra as a steadying force. The scroll, which had slammed against the wall, rolled back to his side and unfurled. Against his will, Sasuke read the words that appeared.

~ _**The demon has made a fool of you, Uchiha Sasuke. That creature is no more capable of caring and sympathy than the hands of Death. Treat him as is his due. PUNISH him for his past infractions, and let there be no more of this talk of FREEDOM.**_ ~

Sasuke snarled and snatched up the scroll, rolling it up furiously. He just barely resisted the urge to tear the damn thing to shreds. The quiet room was filled with his harsh, panting breaths as he tried to regain control over himself. It couldn't be true. It just _couldn't_ be…

Abruptly, Naruto sat straight up in bed, eyes wide.

"They took it!" he muttered incredulously. A shaking hand went into his blond locks. "They actually took it!"

Trembling, Sasuke forced himself to bite out, "Who took what?"

Naruto shot a startled glance in his direction. "Someone broke into my shrine! And whoever it was, they took something…I don't know what, but I can _feel_ it, and…"

The blond trailed off, finally taking in Sasuke's ragged appearance. "Hey, Sasuke. Are you okay?"

_Am I okay?_ he repeated incredulously. _Am I OKAY?_ The Uchiha heir leapt to his feet and shot over to the demon's side, slamming his hands into the surprised man's shoulders and forcing him back against the bed. He stared down at Naruto with crazed eyes, his breath scraping the inside of his throat with each pass. Naruto gazed up at him with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Uh, Sasuke? Is there something I should know?" he asked cautiously, as if he were suddenly unsure of Sasuke's sanity.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly caught sight of the crystal necklace dangling between them as it glinted in the moonlight. Snarling, he wrapped his hand around it. _Naruto's heart, huh? We'll see what's in it!_

"There's something _I_ should know," he rasped. "Mangekyou!"

Sasuke caught a quick flash of surprise before he was falling into those blue eyes, drawn as before into Naruto's mind. This time, when the monstrous cell appeared, Sasuke focused on their link and tried to find the connection to the crystal. A red thread appeared in front of him, and he mentally reached out and yanked on it furiously. The image of the cell disappeared, and Sasuke found himself falling through darkness. Images sporadically raced past him, pictures of himself, of Itachi, of Konoha. A thousand shots of the same small, hated room in the Uchiha main house, a dozen hateful, despised faces. Then older images came forward, of fighting incredible battles against powerful demons and Oni, of lovers, of joyful days and fury, of looking over primitive human villages with benevolence and amusement…

...And then, finally, of fire. Fire everywhere, scattered into pieces, and a familiar-yet-unfamiliar voice crying out in pain.

And then, suddenly, the world went black. Sasuke continued to fall, illusory wind tearing at his body as, slowly, a blue shape appeared in the distance and grew closer. As he approached, the crystal grew impossibly large, spanning before him like a mountain rising out of the horizon. The side of the crystal became transparent, and Sasuke reached out. He had to know…

He hit the imaginary surface of the jewel with a tremendous splash, causing him to close his eyes reflexively. An impossible heat bore down upon him, and he forced his eyes to open.

Lava. Molten lava. It roiled and burned before him, a veritable sea of fury and power. And Sasuke was still falling.

The Uchiha heir gasped, arms and legs beginning to flail in fear. The ocean of lava drew closer, he was going to hit it at any second, and—!

Without warning, a pair of arms stole around his middle and held him back, stopping his descent. Sasuke instinctively clutched at the arms, spinning about in midair to stare incredulously at the man behind him.

Naruto was floating in midair, his body a semi-translucent blue. As they were whenever he powered up, the whisker marks on his face were gone. His hair waved gently back and forth, framing a surprisingly calm, yet worried face.

"Sasuke," he whispered, his voice taking on countless echoes as he spoke. "Why did you come here?"

Breathing heavily, Sasuke stared at him, then craned his neck to look at the sea of lava below. With a shaking hand, he pointed at the molten rock and glared at the ethereal man before him.

"What the hell is all that?" he yelled over the roar of the flames beneath him. "Is that what lies at your heart?"

Naruto tilted his head, not even sparing their surroundings a glance. "Yes."

Sasuke clenched his fists and squeezed, betrayal rising up like a tide within him. "Then those visions _were_ true."

Before Naruto could ask, the visions in question were suddenly played out around them, like ghosts on an invisible screen. When the visions dissipated, Naruto gazed at Sasuke with an unfathomably sad expression.

"The first is a lie," the demon stated quietly. "I would never treat people so cruelly. You know that."

Sasuke raised his hands to clutch at the demon's shoulders, surprisingly cool beneath his fingers. "And the second?" he managed.

Naruto was quiet for a long moment. "The second happened, but it was not what it seems to be."

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. "You murdered all of those people!"

"It was not what it seemed," Naruto repeated forlornly, the echoes in his voice carrying the weight of centuries of guilt. "My opponent led me there, knowing full well what the casualties would be. He made me believe that those people had committed countless atrocities against humans and demons alike. In my foolishness, I believed him, and in my rage…I destroyed that village. Only later did I realize my mistake, and I demanded that he restore the lives that had been lost. He had the power to make this happen. He did not."

Sasuke stared at him, then squeezed his eyes shut. "And what of that fire at your heart? I can feel the rage in there, the fury. It's the power of a _monster_."

Naruto was silent for so long that Sasuke peeled his eyes open just to make sure he was still there. The demon was gazing at him appraisingly.

"I do not see that fire the same way. Yes, there is anger in my heart, but when I look into that pool of lava, I see hope, renewal, and rebirth. I do not see a monster." One translucent eyebrow rose inquiringly. "With your past, there is an incredible amount of anger and hatred in your heart as well. Does it define you? Is your anger all that you are?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, but he was forced to pause. For a long time, that anger had been all that defined him. He had decided to be an avenger, forced to destroy his brother for the atrocity he committed. Was Uchiha Sasuke truly nothing more?

A cool hand on his cheek broke him out of his thoughts. Naruto was smiling warmly at him.

"Your hatred is not all that you are, Sasuke. If it were, I wouldn't like you so much." The man shook his head. "You may not see what I see. Just trust that there is more to you, and you will understand eventually."

Sasuke scowled, uncomfortable with the platitude. "Don't talk down to me like I'm a child, usuratonkachi."

Naruto grinned. "As you wish."

A powerful rush of affection settled tangibly on Sasuke's body, wrapping him in a warm cocoon that simultaneously protected him from the blistering heat below. Unbidden, Sasuke felt himself blush, and he petulantly averted his gaze. Naruto chuckled.

"Now will you answer my question? Why are you here?"

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest, raising his eyes defiantly. "I didn't want to risk releasing a monster."

"Release?" After a split-second of confusion, realization dawned on Naruto's face, followed closely by wonder. "You're thinking of freeing me?"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe. Eventually." He glared. "_If_ you deserve it."

The smile on Naruto's face was practically blinding. His blue body began to change color, growing brighter and whiter by the second. "Uchiha Sasuke, you are one of a kind," Naruto stated happily.

The affection pressing against him was nearly smothering in its intensity now. Sasuke batted at the air ineffectually.

"I haven't been able to figure out _how_, though," he continued with difficulty. "Hell, I don't even know who enslaved you in the first place!"

As if he'd flicked a switch, Naruto's body returned to its normal blue hue, and the happiness of seconds prior was gone. The demon gazed at him somberly.

"You already know who it was, Sasuke."

Sasuke scowled. "No, I don't! And I wish you'd just _tell_ me!"

Naruto simply stared at him. Frustrated, Sasuke threw his hands up in the air.

"I don't know anything about it! I don't know who did it, and I don't know how to free you, even if I _did_ decide that I wanted to!" he shouted.

Naruto shook his head, cupping Sasuke's cheek and stilling the younger man. He gazed intently into the Uchiha heir's eyes. "You _know_, Sasuke."

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort in the negative, when suddenly, an image crossed his mind.

_Moonlight_.

And he knew. He stared at the demon incredulously. "Tsukuyomi? The _Moon God?_"

With a rueful twist to his lips, Naruto nodded.

"You went up against a _god?_" Sasuke felt like he'd been hit with a brick. "Were you _crazy?_"

"To my credit, I thought I had sufficient power and backup," the man replied dryly. He sighed. "I almost won, actually. I just…came up short."

Sasuke shook his head. "You're insane."

The demon grinned impishly. "Maybe a little. But that's what makes me fun."

When Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, Naruto placed his hand over his lips and preemptively silenced him. The man's eyes lowered thoughtfully to the younger man's mouth, and there was a slight change in the affection bearing down on Sasuke's body, but in the next instant, the demon shook himself. Blue eyes met Sharingan-lit ones.

"You need to get out of my head, Sasuke. You need some sleep before your big day tomorrow."

As the demon spoke, the world began to fade to black. Determined not to let the man get the last word, _again_, Sasuke returned cheekily, "Don't you mean out of your _heart?_"

Out of the darkness came a warm reply.

"I never said that."

And Sasuke knew no more.

* * *

Naruto was growing increasingly disturbed as he stared at the man who was hovering over him, unblinking. Sasuke's hand had gone white around Naruto's crystal some time ago, and the young man seemed to have no concept that, apparently, he wasn't in Naruto's head anymore. When the demon had been confronted with the Mangekyou, instinct had made him draw Sasuke into his head, but before he'd been able to confront the younger man, Sasuke had taken on this strange, manic expression and disappeared. Alone in his mental cell, Naruto had blinked confusedly, but when Sasuke failed to return, he'd pulled himself back to reality.

Only to find himself locked in a staring contest with a zombie. He'd seen enough terribision to know what one was, and the ghastly expression on the frozen Uchiha's face totally matched what those movies portrayed. He resisted the urge to squirm.

A bead of sweat worked its way down Naruto's temple as he fought to hold still. For all he knew, blinking could cause Sasuke to snap and tear into him in a murderous rage. Or turn the Uchiha into a vegetable. Or something else that was equally bad.

Of course, just as Naruto was considering these horrible events, his nose began to itch. Badly. He grit his teeth, determined not to move his arm up, crook his finger, and give himself some sweet, blessed relief. He wasn't going to. He wasn't.

He most likely wasn't.

He sort of might not.

As Naruto's hand began to tremble, his resolve crumbling, doomsday scenarios with crazy or brain-dead Sasuke filling his mind with despair, Sasuke did the unthinkable.

He blinked.

And then he passed out, dropping down on top of Naruto like a bag of rice.

The air in Naruto's lungs left in a _whoosh_, and he glared down at the black-haired head nestled between his neck and shoulder.

"The hell's wrong with you, you moron?" he muttered half-heartedly. Lifting his hand, he scratched his nose briefly and then ran his fingers gingerly through Sasuke's hair. He pushed his chakra through his fingertips, checking for any internal injuries. Finding none, he sighed and ruffled the apparently comatose man's gravity-defying locks. "Idiot."

Naruto stared up at the dark ceiling for several long, quiet minutes, then glanced back down at the man on top of him. For some reason he couldn't put his finger on, just looking at the man sleeping so trustingly on his chest was giving him this warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. He cleared his throat awkwardly, but after lying there impassively for a few moments, he sighed again and wrapped his arms around the younger man. The chakra transfer between them rose and ebbed like a lazy tide, and instinctively, Naruto's right hand began to gently rub Sasuke's back in time. Even though Sasuke didn't stir, Naruto found himself feeling better by the moment. It was calming.

As the movement of their chakra lulled him back to sleep, Naruto couldn't help but frown sleepily.

_If I'm going to handle being separated from him for so long tomorrow, I'd better get in as much contact now as I can._ He huffed, pressing his face into Sasuke's hair.

_I can't believe he's going off without me. What if something happens to him?_

Arms tightening around the younger man in worry, Naruto fell asleep.

* * *

The sunlight beating down in the room woke Naruto abruptly, his nose wrinkling as he squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to stretch gingerly, taking care not to disturb the weight upon him, but as his right shoulder moved, he felt a distinct wet spot. Instantly, his eyes snapped open and he stared down at Uchiha Sasuke's head.

The heir to the Uchiha clan had _drooled_ on him. Naruto found this unbearably cute, horrifically gross, and entertainingly unbecoming of an Uchiha, which meant that gross was outweighed two-to-one. He grinned.

"Oh, Sasuke-kuuuun," he crooned, tapping his fingertips in a light, teasing dance on the younger man's back. "Wakey-wakey!"

Sasuke grunted, choosing instead to press his face emphatically into Naruto's neck. "Shaddap, usuratonkachi…"

Oh for the love of chocolate, Sasuke was adorable. That funny feeling from the night before came back, and Naruto chuckled.

"Sasuke, wake up. It's morning," he insisted.

The brunet groaned, planting each hand heavily on the bed before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He glared down at Naruto, seemingly unaware that he was straddling the demon's hips. At the sight of Naruto's grin, Sasuke winced and ran a hand down his grumpy face.

"God, I have a headache," he grumbled. His fingers parted to allow one bloodshot black eye to glare at him. "Did you have to kick me out of your head like that? Is finesse completely beyond you, or are you just that big of an asshole?"

_Huh?_ Naruto blinked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about? When did I kick you out of my head? You were barely _in_ my head before you disappeared."

Sasuke froze. "What?"

Huffing, Naruto placed his hands on Sasuke's boxer-clad hips and frowned up at him. "You were only in my head for a second, dipshit. You vanished almost immediately, and I was stuck staring at you for like ten minutes. Which, by the way, was really, really creepy when you're not moving, barely breathing, and you've got the Sharingan going."

Sasuke stared at him, slowly removing his hand from his face. "You mean…you don't remember any of it?"

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. "Remember what?"

"When I was inside…" Sasuke trailed off, glancing down at the crystal on his chest. The black gaze turned inward as the Uchiha heir obviously mused on that tidbit. "I guess that really was you, then," he finished under his breath, which was completely unhelpful.

Naruto eyed him warily. "Did you see something you weren't supposed to?"

Sasuke snapped out of his ruminations and slowly smirked down at him. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Naruto repeated, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean, 'maybe'?"

Sasuke's smirk took on a downright evil tint. "As in maybe you showed me some of your real feelings for me, _Naruto_."

What real feelings? Was Sasuke just messing with him, or did Naruto actually manage to say or do something in this imaginary dream-world that Sasuke had run off to in his head? Naruto's frown deepened with worry.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied stiffly. He truly didn't. Just because he'd had two cases of the warm and fuzzies for him, and just because he didn't want Sasuke wandering off into danger without him, and just because he actually kind of liked the bastard, it didn't mean he had any sort of repressed feelings for him. Right?

Just like the fact that he'd just now noticed that his thumb had been caressing the smooth, soft, warm skin just above Sasuke's boxers didn't mean a damn thing, either.

Unbidden, Naruto's eyes dropped to the younger man's hips. Sasuke's well-defined abs were showcased in the morning light, flexing as the younger man chuckled at his expense. His skin really was startlingly smooth and soft, considering his lifestyle. Naruto couldn't help but move his hands upwards a little, spreading his fingers over Sasuke's waist. The man above him stopped chuckling.

Naruto swallowed hard. He'd meant what he'd said the other night. Even though he honestly hadn't been interested in Sasuke before, now that he knew the guy better, he wouldn't mind being his, well, gay guinea pig. It was a bad idea in general, since they were stuck together and Sasuke was technically his _master_, but…

Sasuke was pretty fun to be around. And he was, as Naruto'd told him multiple times, gorgeous. Maybe once he got over his hang-ups with Naruto, he'd relax a bit. Maybe Sasuke'd even eventually take on other male lover—

Naruto slammed a lid down on that particular thought, scowling instinctively. Unconsciously, his fingers tightened on Sasuke's skin.

_What Sasuke does in his own time isn't really any of my business,_ he tried to tell himself. _If he decides to have a fucking marathon of gay sex before he gets married to some empty-headed bitch, well, that's his own problem._

He choked back a growl, although he felt his eyes turn red. _And I won't slaughter anyone who puts their hands on him. Honest._

Sasuke made an uncomfortable noise above him, snapping Naruto out of his surprisingly possessive thoughts. He looked up at the younger man's face, which held a faint tinge of pink in the cheeks.

"Do you mind, Naruto? Because if you're done trying to gouge out my hips, I'd like to get up."

Naruto heard the words, but they sounded like they came from a distance. Gods help him, Sasuke was putting out that _smell_ again, all those pheromones and the scent of arousal, and…fuck. Despite himself, Naruto felt himself responding, and he inclined his hips so that he pressed a little harder against Sasuke.

The midnight eyes widened, followed by a spluttered, "Naruto—!"

But protests or no, that smell from Sasuke got sharper. Nostrils flaring, Naruto removed one hand from Sasuke's hip and placed it at his side, using it to slowly lever himself upwards. Sasuke's mouth was working silently, but the flush in the younger man's cheeks was getting darker, and his breathing was audibly faster. Naruto's sharpened vision caught the tick of Sasuke's rapid pulse in his throat, and the fox demon exhaled slowly. Carefully, he peeled his other hand off Sasuke's hip, trailed his sharpened nails up the other man's torso, which elicited a fucking fan_tas_tic shiver, and buried his hand in the brunet's dark locks. He stared into Sasuke's hooded, brooding eyes before lowering his gaze to the younger man's mouth. He inhaled sharply.

He wanted to do it. Gods above, he wanted to lean forward and pull this sexy, irritating bastard into a kiss that would make him _finally_ admit that he wanted Naruto, too. He wanted to taste him, to give _him_ an idea of how it felt to be _owned_…

A low growl slipped out from between his clenched teeth as he began to lean in.

"Naruto, what the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

The raspy, strained voice froze the demon's body in its tracks. Swallowing heavily, Naruto snapped his eyes back up to Sasuke's, which were filled with anger and what he was _sure_ was repressed lust. Immediately, Naruto flashed back to what had happened the last time he'd inadvertently planted his lips on Sasuke. The image of getting chakra-blasted through the wall behind him cooled him off considerably, and he gave Sasuke a weak smile.

"Uh…nothing?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed to thin slits. "Nothing?"

Gingerly, as if handing a deadly viper, Naruto removed his hand from Sasuke's hair and gave a quiet, unconvincing chuckle. "Just, ah, sitting up. That's all."

"Good," Sasuke ground out. The younger man wasted no time getting off the bed, his cheeks still a telling pink. With short, angry movements, Sasuke snatched up his pants and shirt and got dressed. Naruto watched him for a moment, sighed, and got up from the bed as well.

The room was filled with an awkward, tense silence as Naruto dressed himself. Sasuke moved over to the window, staring outside with a determined look on his face. Once clothed, Naruto fidgeted.

Clearing his throat, he tried, "So, uh…"

Sasuke leveled a glare at him that shut him up. The brunet took a long, deep breath and released it slowly, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them, that on-edge glint was gone, and the anger was muted.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they had breakfast waiting for us," Sasuke declared abruptly, apparently determined to avoid the subject of what had nearly happened on the bed. He strode purposefully over to the door. "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

Naruto watched him, then shook his head. "Uh, right. Sure."

When Sasuke pulled the door open, however, he discovered a covered tray sitting right outside the doorway. He checked the hallway, then bent down to retrieve the tray and brought it inside. Balancing it on one hand, he shut the door with his free hand and made his way over to Naruto. He frowned at the blond man, then at the floor. With no table or chairs to eat at, the younger man set the tray on the floor and settled down without a word. Biting his lip, Naruto sat down across from him.

Sasuke warily lifted the lid off the tray to reveal two bowls of rice, two bowls of miso soup, a large, fried fish, soy sauce, and two omelet rolls. The two men eyed the offering cautiously. Both were thinking the same thing.

_They wouldn't try to drug us, would they?_

Sasuke glanced at Naruto calculatingly, then back at the food. "Naruto, is there anyone outside?"

The fox demon blinked. He checked quickly with his chakra. "Um, no."

The Uchiha heir nodded. "Then I wish this food had nothing harmful in it."

Both waited, but nothing happened. Locking eyes with the younger man, Naruto shrugged.

"I guess nothing's wrong with it."

Sasuke hummed thoughtfully, broke open his chopsticks, and carefully picked up a piece of omelet. When he hesitated, Naruto offered, "If anything happens, I'll know right away, and I'll heal you, okay?"

At that, the Uchiha gave him a sour look. "I'm capable of dealing with this sort of thing, Naruto," he snapped.

Naruto rolled his eyes, lifting his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. I guess that's what I get for trying to take care of you."

He got a full-out glare for that one. "I'm not a child, Naruto. I don't _need_ you to take care of me."

There was that word again. Scowling, Naruto folded his arms over his chest. "Yeah, well, maybe I _want_ to."

Sasuke stared at him, then frowned and stuffed the omelet in his mouth, chewing defiantly. "Turning into a fucking mother hen," the younger man muttered under his breath.

Naruto glared at him, but he did reach down for his own chopsticks, broke them apart, and took an angry bite of omelet as well. "It's not mother-henning," he returned. Then he frowned at his plate. "My eggs are better."

Sasuke made a low noise that sounded like agreement, but when Naruto's eyes shot up to him, the younger man blithely continued eating. The two finished off their meals in silence.

Finally, Sasuke stood up and sighed. "I should head to the Kazekage's office and discuss the terms of this test mission." He gave Naruto an odd look. "You _will_ stay out of trouble today, right?"

The thought of being left alone made Naruto's chest seize up for a second, but he ignored the feeling in favor of sticking his tongue out. "Aside from the snooping _you_ requested, absolutely." He rose to his feet as well. "And you promise to use my chakra if necessary, right? And to summon me if you need help?"

Sasuke scowled. "For the last time, I _don't_ need your help!"

Naruto folded his arms over his chest and matched Sasuke scowl-for-scowl. "Just promise me!"

The Uchiha heir glared at him for a long moment, then finally rolled his eyes. "Yes, fine, I promise. I won't need to, but in the _extremely unlikely_ case that I need your chakra, I'll use it. Happy now?"

Naruto pursed his lips, lifting an eyebrow. "And you'll make sure not to pull in too much this time? If you start running around like a mini-me again, I'm fairly sure that'll raise some red flags."

For a second, Sasuke looked ready to murder him. "I will not let myself get overwhelmed with your chakra again," he ground out. "And I'm fairly sure that the only reason I turned into a fox is that I identified your damn demonic chakra with your fox form. I'm prepared for that now."

"Fine, then." They glared at each other for another minute, but eventually, Naruto let his shoulders relax and sighed. "Just…be careful, okay?"

Some of the tension seemed to leave Sasuke, too, and the other man uncomfortably diverted his gaze. "I will."

After another moment of tense silence, Sasuke shook his head and made his way to the door. Just as he pulled it open and stepped through, Naruto blurted out a quiet, "Itterasshai."

Sasuke froze, hand clenching down on the doorknob. Without looking over his shoulder, he gave a sharp nod and a grunt. He left, pulling the door shut behind him.

The silence in the room was nearly deafening. With a weary sigh, Naruto turned to the window and braced his hands on the sill, looking gloomily out over the desert city.

It was going to be a long fucking day.

* * *

In his moon palace, Tsukuyomi was wearing a highly displeased frown, arms folded over his chest. It seemed that he had lost some valuable time with the younger Uchiha when he had been blocked from accessing the scroll the first time the boy had opened it. His powers over it were limited when the moon had not yet risen in the scroll's sky, but he'd assumed that he could make up for any doubts in his power that the boy might develop. He'd thought for sure that the two images he'd sent Uchiha Sasuke would convince him of Kyuubi's true nature, even though the first had been fabricated. The boy had practically created that lie himself with his jealousy; all the god had needed to do was pluck it from the boy's mind and flesh it out. Uchiha Sasuke should have believed it implicitly.

His dignified frown grew even more pronounced. The fact that the young fool had even mentioned freeing Kyuubi was highly disturbing. No one had ever been that selfless, and Tsukuyomi knew that the Uchiha brat was a highly selfish person. Until the boy completed his life mission, or as long as he had use for Kyuubi, there would be no more talk of freedom, of that he was sure.

But clearly, the boy was not the champion he had hoped for. His older brother, however, had seemed promising. His hatred for Kyuubi no Kitsune perfectly suited Tsukuyomi's needs.

As if coming out from behind a dark shadow, a smile bloomed on the moon god's face.

* * *

**Author's note:** I hope you all enjoyed it! As I said, most of what I wanted to do in this chapter had to get pushed into the next one, but this character development was necessary. I want to thank again all the lovely people who pointed out the issues in Naruto and Sasuke's relationship up to this point.

Next up! More Gaara! Ninja hijinks! Lonely Naruto! I'm excited, I dunno about you guys. (grin) Ganbarimaaaaaaasu!

P.S. "Itterasshai," for those of you who don't know, is what you say to a roommate, family member, friend or person who's leaving briefly (from the apartment, house, room, etc.). Literally translated, it means "Go and honorably come back," but basically, it's used as "Take care, see you later." And as for "left over right," that's kind of how everything's gone here. Drive on the left, the left side of the kimono goes over the right side, Amaterasu came from the left eye, etc.


	18. Closer

**Author's note:** Missed by a few days, lol, but I did try. I got zero sleep for a week to get this done, but I have a feeling that the feedback will be totally, totally worth it. You guys are awesome that way. ^_^ Longest chapter yet, dear god. I have to start setting more realistic goals for myself... Hope everyone had a lovely 4th of July!

And just in case you didn't know, I posted a little crack ficlet called Sea of Souls. Check it out if you like. ^_^

Enjoy.

* * *

Temari woke slowly, wrinkling her nose and pinching her eyes shut at the brightness of the sun upon her face. As always, her wrists and ankles were bound under heavy, unforgiving weights. Heaving a mental sigh, she peeled her deep blue eyes open and glanced down at the makeshift manacles of sand. Despite the solid feeling of the cuffs, the sand within them constantly shifted, travelling around her limbs and heading back across the room into the gourd of the red-headed demon. Gaara's eyes were still shut as he continued to meditate, legs folded and his back perfectly straight. As if aware of her regard, he opened his eyes and gazed coldly back at her. Temari sighed.

"Did you sleep well last night?" she tried gamely, sitting up on her bed. The sand manacles dissolved as she moved, and the grains retreated into the demon's gourd. Gaara stared at her, his expression inscrutable.

After a pause long enough to make her assume that her conversational volley was, once again, futile, Gaara replied, "I do not sleep."

The matter-of-fact statement drew her up short. She stood slowly from her bed and crossed to her dresser, tossing out a tentatively curious, "Never?"

Another prolonged silence. Finally, he issued a low, icily cold, "Not since my enslavement."

_Ah. Fantastic, way to make things even more awkward,_ she berated herself. She stayed quiet for a moment, pulling on a mesh shirt and following it with a short linen dress. Over time, she'd lost her sense of modesty in front of Gaara; he never looked away, but neither did he ever look at her with interest, so modesty seemed to be a moot point. Obviously, unadulterated hatred put a stop to any lascivious thoughts on his part. Pursing her lips, she looked down as she tied an _obi_ over her dress.

"Did you ever…" she trailed off, swallowing. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'd be willing to listen."

She could feel his freezing gaze without turning around. The cold, hollowed-out spot in her chest where their bond connected chilled even further. Sighing, she shook her head.

"Or not." Frowning, she turned to face him and planted her hands on her hips. Gaara glared up at her from the floor, his low opinion of her clear from the poorly hidden disgust on his face. Abruptly, Temari's frustration with her situation bubbled to the surface. She'd done everything asked of her, she'd tried to be nice to the demon, and she'd even made sure to keep from ever punishing him, even by accident. None of her actions had come even close to muting the loathing in those pale blue eyes, even though Gaara had to know that it wasn't _her_ fault that he'd been bound to her. If she could have passed him off to anyone else, or if she'd had the choice of not releasing him at all and _keeping her brother alive_, she'd have done it! Like it or not, they were stuck together, a fact that she appreciated even if Gaara didn't. Clenching her teeth, she averted her eyes to the window.

"Uchiha Sasuke must be a great man," she murmured bitterly. "It looks like he and your _friend_ get along just fine."

There was a faint hiss of sand from Gaara's corner. "Excuse me?" he questioned in a dark tone.

Temari huffed and waved a hand angrily. "Don't play me for a fool. I know what Naruto is, even if Father hasn't figured it out yet. What _I_ can't fathom is how the two of them can be so buddy-buddy despite being in the same situation _we're_ in!"

When she turned her eyes back to the man beside her, she swallowed convulsively. Gaara's eyes were glowing a manic golden color, fury etched into each hard line of his body. Slowly, the demon rose to his feet.

"What do you plan to do with this information, Temari-sama?" His voice sent a chill down her spine, but she straightened her back defiantly. For once, she wasn't going to back down to this man, not when she stood up to everyone else in her life.

"This might sound crazy to you, but I'm not planning to do anything with it," she shot back. "I'm certainly not going to tell _Father_."

Gaara blinked, but that was the only indication he gave of his surprise. His eyes continued to glow. "Why not?"

She scowled. "I don't see any reason why I should! That man ruined my life and got my brother killed, all because he was too scared to try and wield your power himself! I don't think his machinations are even really for Sand; I think he just wants the glory that would come from waging a successful war against Konoha. So you tell me: why _should_ I tell him that he has another demon in his midst?"

The glow faded, but his eyes remained gold as he considered her. "What of your honor? You swore loyalty to him."

Temari turned away, folding her arms over her chest. "I swore loyalty to my village. If I feel that what he's doing isn't in its best interest, I'm not going to support him." Her fingers dug into her arms. "And he stopped being my father the day he told us to release you."

In the contemplative silence that followed, Gaara's eyes returned to their normal pale blue color. His lips turned down in a gentle frown.

"You do not blame me for your brother's death," he noted quietly, confusion faintly coloring his voice.

Temari lowered her head. "You were bound by law to do the deed. It was my father who sent him to his death. The blame rests with him."

Sighing, the young woman turned back to Gaara, then paused as she locked eyes with him. For the first time since his release, the demon was watching her with something other than smoldering hate lurking in his eyes. In its place, however temporarily, was guarded curiosity. The sight was so unfamiliar that Temari found herself staring unashamedly at him.

Those pale blue eyes gazed at her for several contemplative minutes before the demon finally blinked.

"Yesterday, I believe you said that you wanted to use the training fields today, did you not?" he asked abruptly. Temari stifled a jump.

"Um. Yes. I did."_ He was listening?_

Gaara inclined his head, and the door to her room opened automatically. Warily, she preceded him out of the room, and the door swung shut behind them. They walked in silence down the hallway, and Temari was just beginning to relax when the diminutive man beside her spoke once more.

"Perhaps I will assist you this time."

Temari swung her head around to stare at Gaara, but his expression had returned to that blank mask he wore more often than not. Cautiously, she smiled at him.

"I'd like that."

* * *

Sasuke listened to the Kazekage waste his time with pleasantries, his expression locked into the stoic mask that he'd used for most of his life. Strangely, it felt almost stiff and unnatural after spending so much time with Naruto and letting his guard down. The Kazekage, however, seemed to take it in stride.

"Now then, Uchiha-san," the older man began cheerfully, folding his hands on his desk. "I'm sure you're wondering what my little task for you today will be."

"The unauthorized task, yes," he replied blandly.

The Kazekage's smile hardened. "I'm sure you agree that my asking you for a small favor, for which you will of course be compensated, is not out of bounds, Uchiha-san."

"I suppose not, except for the fact that by doing this 'favor' right after my strenuous journey, I may compromise my ability to be at full strength for the mission you originally contracted me for, Kazekage-sama." Sasuke gazed confidently at the other man. "As I have full confidence in my endurance, I agreed to take on this mission. I just hope that when the main event comes around, I will not require…certain assistance."

When the Kazekage frowned and opened his mouth to protest, Sasuke quickly continued, "Surely you would agree, Kazekage-sama, that in the unlikely event that I am wounded or in any way diminished in my abilities as a direct result of this favor, I would be entitled to some small amount of support later?"

The older man's frown became a scowl. "Your cousin does not have the required clearance."

Sasuke feigned a small amount of surprise, quirking one eyebrow upwards. "Did I ever mention my cousin? I do not believe that I did. However, since you brought him up, I should mention that my cousin has received the highest clearance from the Hokage and has her full confidence. Are you saying that you do not trust her judgment?" _Suck on that, you old fucker. I'm not the only one bound by politics._

Caught in a corner, the Kazekage placed an obsequious smile on his face. "Of course not. Sand has always valued the wise input of Konoha. As we have more pressing matters at hand, however, perhaps we can work out those details later, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke tipped his head in acknowledgement, smirking internally. "As you wish, Kazekage-sama." Although he didn't allow his satisfaction to show on his face, Sasuke let a small kernel of smugness at winning this verbal sparring round to settle in his chest. The larger mission, whatever it was, would almost certainly take longer than Naruto's ring would allow them to be apart. Even if he wouldn't need the demon's help, per se, he couldn't risk the both of them being crippled by some sadistic god's rule.

And besides, he grudgingly admitted to himself, it wouldn't hurt to have a little backup for whatever trap the Kazekage had planned for him.

With an overblown air of importance, the Kazekage picked up a file folder and tapped the bottom of it against his desk. He opened it with a flick, then spun it around to show the documents within to the younger man. Sasuke picked up the folder, quickly flipping through the documents inside. A small picture of a necklace, which seemed to be made of some thick black cord that was broken evenly by eight pieces of warped glass, was clipped to the top.

"This necklace, Uchiha-san," the Kazekage explained, "is known as the Jewel of the Desert. It's one of my family's heirlooms, passed down for centuries. A generation ago, we left it in the care of our largest museum here in Sand, but it has recently gone missing. Rumor has it that the caretaker ran off with it, since he hasn't been seen since the necklace's disappearance." His brown eyes darted up to Sasuke's face. "I need you to find it and bring it back."

_The hell kind of mission is this?_ Sasuke frowned. "Wouldn't this be a simple matter for the police?"

The Kazekage smirked. "It would, typically. However, this particular heirloom," he paused to gesture at the picture, prompting Sasuke to lower the other documents and take another glance at it, "is rumored to have very special, very dangerous qualities. So dangerous, in fact, that the museum's caretakers are routinely swapped out to keep them from falling under its influence, and the necklace itself was locked behind several stop-guards that were changed every week. This latest caretaker, a Mr. Sakada Reiji, appears to have been weaker than most if he managed to steal the necklace before he could be replaced. A ninja of some strength will be required to subdue him, especially if he has attempted to actually _wear_ it."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and he shuffled the papers in his hands until he found the document detailing the caretaker. Normal man, no criminal history, no shinobi in his bloodline. Given that he'd been missing with the necklace for over twenty-four hours, Sasuke found it hard to believe that none of Sand's ninjas had been able to track him. The standard case history sheet was conspicuously missing. Had the Kazekage already tried to locate the man? "And what will happen if he wears it?"

"According to the legends," the Kazekage began, watching the younger man carefully, "he will temporarily be granted the power to control sand. Even a normal man such as Sakada-san could be…troublesome. I was originally going to send this case to one of my own ninjas, but it seems perfectly matched with your own special skills. I want you to track him down, recover the necklace, and find a way to remove his memory of the entire event, including that of any witnesses. Nobody wants to hear that a dangerous artifact was unleashed upon the city, and nobody will. Understood?"

Sasuke nodded shortly. "Understood." _So he's heard of the Mangekyou, and he assumes that I can use it to actually modify a person's mind._ He frowned thoughtfully. _It's possible that if I tell a civilian a thousand times that whatever he saw didn't actually happen, I can make him believe it. If that doesn't work, I'll have to try something else._ "I assume that you want Sakada-san to remain unharmed."

The Kazekage waved a hand dismissively. "If at all possible, naturally. And of course, I highly advise you not to try and wear the necklace yourself, Uchiha-san."

At the stern glare the Kazekage gave him after that remark, Sasuke had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he bowed his head.

"Understood."

"Very good," the older man replied brusquely. "Bring the necklace to my office when you are done, and we'll debrief. Dismissed."

Wordlessly, Sasuke rose from his seat, placed the folder upon the desk, bowed to the Kazekage, and left the office. He ignored the ninja patrolling the halls as he strode towards the nearest open window, placed his foot on the sandstone edge, and launched himself out of the building. Internally, he scoffed.

_How hard can it be to find a single civilian? _Sasuke shook his head, landing on a rooftop and proceeding to the next. _I'll be done before Naruto even has a chance to miss me._

* * *

Naruto was kneeling in front of the window, his chin propped up on the windowsill as he glumly watched several cheerful birds circling about in the sky. His breath repeatedly fogged up the windowpane that was centimeters from his nose, but the little cloud did nothing to obscure his view of the city, nor of Sasuke disappearing into it merely twenty minutes after he'd left their bedroom. Naruto's glower grew more pronounced.

He was on his own for the first time since he'd been enslaved, free of pain or requirements. He didn't have to do anything in particular while Sasuke was gone aside from doing some snooping, and that was pretty much a _request_, not an order, since Sasuke could have probably done it on his own anyway. Essentially, Naruto was a free agent for the day. He should be fucking ecstatic.

Instead, he felt like putting his fist through a wall. Sasuke, that smug, pompous, overly confident little bastard, had wandered out into a dangerous situation on his own, and he _didn't seem to give a damn_. Never mind that Naruto actually _wanted_ to watch his back, and that he probably could've gone along invisibly—and it pissed him off that the idea had just occurred to him, now that the jerk was gone—or something, oh no, _Sasuke_ was perfectly capable of minding himself, thanks but no thanks. Nope, _Kyuubi no fucking Kitsune_, your help's not necessary, go fuck yourself for the day.

With a growl, Naruto clenched his fists as his chakra abruptly spiked upwards and blasted the window open. Stomping to his feet, he began pacing back and forth in the room, mumbling to himself. It wasn't like Sasuke hadn't seen what Naruto was capable of over their time together. He was just a mortal; he _had_ to be impressed by that, right? Sasuke should've been _begging_ Naruto to come along with him, just because he was that fucking awesome! What was _wrong_ with that bastard?

Scowling, Naruto came to a halt and stared at his feet. _It's because of his damn pride, I know. He hates getting help, and he wants to do everything himself._ He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. _Truthfully, that's one of the things I like about him. If he were the kind of weak-willed idiot that wanted me to do everything for him, I'd hate his guts._ He kicked at the bedpost nearest him. _Wouldn't kill him to ask me for something every __**once**__ in a while, though._

Naruto exhaled loudly, abruptly spinning around to flop backwards onto the bed. He stared up at the ceiling, lips pursed. This whole situation was fucking bizarre. If it had been anyone else, any other master, even the more tolerable ones, Naruto wouldn't have given it another thought. But when it came to Sasuke, the stubborn, proud, condescending asshole who had the _audacity_ to refer to Kyuubi as a rodent when they first met… Naruto couldn't just walk away. Sasuke was incredible: he picked up difficult techniques like he'd been born doing them; he was tenacious as hell; he continued to have the nerve to treat a powerful demon like a regular person, despite being shown just how far-reaching said power was; and despite his traumatic past, he still found it within himself to _care_. The Uchiha heir didn't like to _admit_ it, of course, but that didn't change what Naruto had felt through their bond and what he'd seen with his own two eyes. Sasuke had a laundry list of faults, but…he was a good person. And extremely easy on the eyes.

Grimacing, Naruto threw an arm over his eyes. Who _wouldn't_ want to be important to someone like that? To someone who was so confident, and yet so endearingly insecure? And what the hell was going on in Sasuke's head that he _could_ dismiss Naruto so casually?

_Maybe he wants to impress me, as well?_ The demon considered this idea for a moment, then shrugged wearily. _If that's the case, he doesn't really have to. After all, __**he's**__ already important to __**me**_**.**

That thought drew him up short, a tiny kernel of panic lodging itself in his throat. Just how important _was_ Sasuke to him, anyway? True, Naruto kind of wanted to stay by Sasuke's side and all, but…he couldn't possibly be thinking of an actual _commitment_, could he? He had a job to do, a _duty_ towards the comrades he'd gotten enslaved, never mind his duty towards himself, and hell, if Sasuke didn't free him, it was pretty much the end of the road for him and—

A series of short raps on the door had Naruto leaping to his feet, gratefully shoving his increasingly disturbing line of thought to the back of his mind. _At this point,_ he thought exasperatedly, _I'll take any distractions!_ Pasting a chipper smile on his face, he threw open the door.

Gaara stood on the other side, the faint shimmer of an illusion hovering over his skin. His chakra levels were incredibly low, so low in fact that he couldn't possibly be the real thing. Eyebrows rising, Naruto waved a hand at Gaara's body.

"A bunshin?" he asked curiously.

The tanuki demon nodded shortly. "I cannot be separated from Temari-sama for very long, so this seemed to be an acceptable alternative. I thought that I might give you a tour of this…_illustrious_ city."

_Still has issues with anger management, I see_. Naruto grinned. "Won't the Kazekage think it odd that his 'son' and I went for a walkabout?"

There was a quick flash of amusement and defiance in those pale blue eyes. "The Kazekage will never know. To everyone in the building, I appear to be a guard."

"And when we're outside?" Naruto leaned in conspiratorially, his grin growing.

Gaara smirked. "As I said, the Kazekage will never know about it."

The fox demon tipped his head back, barking out a laugh. "Of course. Well then, since you have this all planned out, I humbly accept you as my chaperone." He gave the smaller man a rueful smile, rubbing the back of his head. "I desperately need to get out of here, too."

"Mm. I can imagine," was the dry reply. Naruto snickered. He stepped into the hallway, shutting the door forcefully behind him. As they began walking down the hall, Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets and slanted a look at the shorter man.

"So, how _are_ things going with Temari? Has she been treating you alright?"

"To my surprise, she has. Not as well as your beloved Sasuke treats you, obviously, but her abject terror may have something to do with that."

To his unending dismay, Naruto felt his cheeks turning red. "Beloved? What do you mean, beloved? I'm not in love with him."

Gaara shot him a sardonic glance. "One does not have to be 'in love' for their companion to be beloved. You could cherish him as a friend for all I know. At any rate, I was being sarcastic."

"Oh." Naruto's blush deepened, and he gave his long-time friend a weak grin. "I knew that."

The flat look in Gaara's eyes told Naruto that the other demon obviously wasn't falling for it, but Gaara graciously returned to their previous subject anyway.

"Temari-sama seems to be more of an enigma than I originally thought. She never stood up to me or to her father, so I assumed that she was weak. My assessment is apparently incorrect."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully, pushing open a door at the end of the hallway that revealed a stone stairwell. He waited for Gaara to precede him down, then followed.

"What makes you think that?" he asked curiously.

Uncharacteristically, Gaara hesitated before replying. "She knows what you are."

Naruto came to an abrupt halt, his last, startled footstep echoing in the narrow stairwell. "She _what?_" His heart started pounding. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, I blew it! The Kazekage's going to find out, and he's going to send someone to assassinate Sasuke, and oh crap I have to find him!_

"She also informed me that she will not do anything with this information, least of all reveal it to her father."

Naruto stared uncomprehendingly at his friend. "She knows I'm a demon, and she's not going to tell anyone? How scared of you _is_ she?"

Gaara snorted, shaking his head. "Actually, this was not my doing. She seems to blame her father for the death of her brother at my hands, and she sees no reason to reveal your true nature to him unless you prove to be a threat to the city."

"So, basically, you killed him, and she blames Daddy?" Naruto's shoulders slowly relaxed, and he chuckled dryly. "Looks like we both got a pair of remarkably understanding masters this time."

"So it would seem," Gaara agreed, finally reaching the bottom of the stairwell. He shoved the exit door open, letting in a blast of hot air and sunshine. His lips twitched in an aborted smile. "After you, Kyuubi-sama."

"Why thank you, Shukaku," Naruto replied with a grand, sweeping bow. As he stepped out into the hot sunlight, he took a deep, satisfying breath. It felt so good to be outside on his own terms. And with his friend beside him, maybe he could even take his mind off—

"So, tell me more about this _Sasuke_."

Naruto sighed.

* * *

Tsukuyomi touched down gently upon the bright green grass, masking his displeasure at the dirt that was going to soil his finery. For this very reason, he rarely descended to the world of the mortals, for all that his influence had yielded a less savage world than it had been a mere millennium ago. Why his younger brother felt such delight in walking amongst mortals, he would never understand.

Before him, at the end of a long, flat plain, rose the snow-capped Mt. Fuji. On the far side of it, after several smaller mountains and giant forests, rested the city of Konoha. Tsukuyomi eyed the dormant volcano with distaste.

_All of my work almost came to nothing because of this mountain,_ he mused irritably. Preventing Kyuubi from reaching it had been troublesome during their war, and the demon had come far closer to his goal than the god liked to admit. With the lax grip on the monster that the younger Uchiha brother was content to maintain, Tsukuyomi's victory was once again in jeopardy. If Kyuubi managed to get his hands on the magma at this mountain's core, the moon god's meticulously crafted, orderly world would disappear. He allowed himself a small, dignified frown.

_He will not reach it_, he assured himself. _And to that end…_ His eyes alighted upon the elder Uchiha brother, who was laboriously making his way across the plain. Even from this distance, the singed edges of his cloak were clearly visible. The evidence of Kyuubi's impertinent disobedience sent a wave of frustrated anger through the god. Even after one thousand years of servitude, that idiotic monster _still_ refused to learn his place in this world! It was disgraceful!

After a long, calming breath, Tsukuyomi glided across the sunlight field, placing himself directly in the elder Uchiha's path. Itachi paused, blinking at Tsukuyomi in surprise. Although the man's expression remained the same, his instant discomfort was clearly visible. Tsukuyomi smiled.

"Greetings, Uchiha Itachi. I trust that you are well?" Tsukuyomi asked companionably. Color drained from the other man's already pale face. Itachi seemed almost frozen in place. Taking a step closer, Tsukuyomi continued, "I wonder if you have time to do me a small favor. I assure you that the rewards will be—"

"Sorry, brother-dearest, but you'll have to keep your hands off this one," interrupted a gratingly cheerful voice. Expression closing down, Tsukuyomi turned to face his younger brother, who was grinning at him. Storm clouds began to gather atop the volcano.

"Susanoo." His curt tone did nothing to lessen the glee in his sibling's eyes. "Stay out of this."

The storm god ran a hand along his beard, tilting his head. "I'm afraid I can't, brother. I've already laid claim to Uchiha Itachi as my champion. I can't just loan him out to you." His teeth flashed. "Sorry, though."

Fury began to rise within the moon god's chest, and he pinned his sibling with a harsh glare. "Uchiha Itachi is far more suited to my intentions than yours. Release him to me."

Susanoo had the gall to _laugh_. "Sorry, but this is one case in which I don't have to bow down to your desires, older brother. I chose him, therefore he's mine. You'll have to find someone else."

As his rage swelled, a katana appeared at Tsukuyomi's side. His hand moved to rest lightly upon the hilt as he evenly stated, "I grow weary of the constant insubordination that has been shown to me."

Susanoo stopped smiling. He eyed the sword warily. "Now, now, let's not be so hasty to fight. You know the rules, dear brother, and they do say that any god is allowed to choose and keep his own champion."

The storm clouds in the distance grew larger and darker, rumbling threateningly. Tsukuyomi paid them no mind, tightening his grip upon his sword.

"I will have what I want."

"Yeah, you usually do," Susanoo muttered under his breath. "How come I can't get what I want every once in a while?"

Tsukuyomi's eyes narrowed. "Because what _you_ want is never beneficial for anyone but yourself."

Lightning struck the mountain. "That's not true! I saved that girl from the Yamata no Orochi, didn't I? I've done other good deeds, too!"

"And you are claiming _this_ as a good deed? Freeing that _monster_?"

Susanoo paused, frowned, and finally opened his mouth. "Considering what you've done to him, actually, yes."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Itachi, but neither god paid him any attention. Tsukuyomi prepared to draw his sword, his eyes and voice cold.

"You will stop interfering." He drew his blade, letting the moon-white metal glint in the sunlight. Susanoo stiffened, but he stood his ground, even as the moon god brandished the blade at him. "Stand aside."

The storm god stared at the sword, then raised his eyes to his sibling's. Surprisingly, he didn't waver.

"No," Susanoo replied, a thunderclap punctuating his stance. His normally clear eyes had darkened to a stormy black. The air between the gods grew heavy, charged with electricity.

Tsukuyomi clenched his teeth. "So be it."

As soon as he placed a foot in the storm god's direction, however, a piercing beam of light struck the ground in front of him. A second later, a golden arrow flashed by, sinking into the dirt next to his shoe. The quivering shaft of the arrow was pressed smartly against the inside of his foot. Both gods stared at the arrow for a long, tense moment.

Eventually, Susanoo let out a dry chuckle. "It seems that it's two against one, dear brother. Our sister appears to be on my side this time."

Rage swelled within him again, but this time, the moon god quashed it. Grudgingly, he sheathed his sword. Although he could have taken the storm god in a one-on-one fight, as the other man typically did not wage battle, adding Amaterasu to the mix put the tide heavily against Tsukuyomi. He glowered, straightening his robes.

"Then it seems I will have to find my champion elsewhere," he stated darkly. He turned scornful eyes to Itachi, who had wisely remained silent throughout the entire exchange. "Be glad that you are a mortal. This level of altercation shall always be beyond you. Thanks to this one—" He nodded towards Susanoo. "—Your actions shall be overlooked. Such a simple life you must lead."

Itachi glanced between the two gods with black-rimmed, bloodshot eyes. After a long moment of silence, he quietly replied, "Actually, it seems that the phenomenon of the 'annoying little brother' is a universal constant. Sasuke has given me at least this much trouble."

Both gods stared at him incredulously, but Itachi just shifted his gaze to the ground and remained silent. With a sudden start, Susanoo began laughing.

"Indeed, indeed! You really shouldn't be so condescending, brother. Just because he's mortal doesn't mean that he doesn't have problems. After all, most of his problems are indirectly your fault," the storm god affirmed, heartily slapping the stiff Uchiha's shoulder. At the incensed look on Tsukuyomi's face, Susanoo waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, give the boy some slack. He's had a rough couple of days."

Tsukuyomi continued to glare at the pair. Susanoo had left a hand upon the elder Uchiha's shoulder, wordlessly protecting him while Itachi continued to stare at the ground. _Insubordinate. The whole lot of them._ His lip curled unpleasantly. _Disgusting._

Straightening his back, Tsukuyomi arrogantly looked down his nose at his sibling. "Have your champion, little brother. I clearly overestimated him." A sneer appeared on his lips. "I shall simply have to find a champion as offensive to you as this one is to me."

Susanoo's grin disappeared, leaving a highly satisfying frown in its wake. "An offensive champion? Wait, whom are you referring to?"

Tsukuyomi simply allowed himself a small smile and rose up into the heavens. He already had someone in mind, as a matter of fact.

Susanoo had practically told him who to pick.

* * *

"…And then, of all things, he told me he wanted to be my _partner_. Who does that? Nobody does that. He's fucking weird." Naruto finally ran out of breath, shaking his head as he walked alongside his friend. The hard road was warm beneath his feet despite the shade between the closely packed buildings, heat warping the air around them. "It's like…it's like he doesn't care who I am. What I am."

"And that unnerves you." Gaara's voice was quiet, as he had been for most of Naruto's ramblings about his newest human companion. Truthfully, the fox demon suspected that Gaara hadn't actually expected Naruto to take him up on his offer to talk, but whom else could he discuss this with?

Shrugging internally, he protested, "Well, wouldn't you be? Even you've always looked at me as Kyuubi first and a person second, and you're practically my _brother_."

Gaara gazed solemnly at him, then subtly angled his body so that the two of them went down an alleyway to the right. "You are a very impressive person, Kyuubi-sama. While I admit to having been blinded by that in the past, I like to think that I have treated you as I would any person I respect."

Naruto grinned at him, throwing an arm over Gaara's shoulder. "And how many people do you respect, exactly?"

When the tanuki demon failed to respond beyond a faint dusting of red in his cheeks, Naruto chuckled and gave his shoulders a brief squeeze. "That's what I thought." His eyes softened. "You know that I appreciate you, don't you?"

Gaara gazed at him for a long moment before the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Yes. Incredibly, you are even easier to read now than you were before." He paused, running his eyes over Naruto's face. "You have changed, Kyuubi-sama."

Naruto's shoulders tensed, then released on a sigh. "I know I have. Does that…bother you?" Suddenly, he felt unaccountably nervous. Shukaku had looked up to him for ages. Losing that regard for any reason would be a blow he wasn't sure his ego could handle.

Slowly, the smaller man shook his head. "No, although I find it fascinating that you seem to have become _more_ open rather than less. I can't imagine that your previous masters treated you well."

Relieved, Naruto snorted. "No, I can't say they did. But you know me, I had to buck authority whenever I could. Seems like the one thing that pisses off Uchihas the fastest is being loud, cocky, and obnoxious. Since I did that whenever I could get away with it…I guess it became a habit." Gently, he lifted his left hand from its place on Gaara's shoulder and pointedly stroked the dark skin under the tanuki demon's eyes. "I guess we all have our ways of coping."

Gaara's gaze lowered, and his eyebrows furrowed. "How can I sleep?" he muttered.

Naruto frowned worriedly. "What do you mean?"

Beneath his arm, deceptively slim shoulders tensed. "How can I sleep, knowing that I failed you?" Gaara suddenly burst out. His body curled under a sudden onslaught of emotion, words rushing out of him with a ferocity that startled Naruto. "You were so _close_ to everything you wanted, to everything you promised us, and I was so _proud_ to be a part of it. To be your right hand man. After my reputation, after how I used to act, you _trusted_ me and _respected_ me, and it was _my job_ to see your war through to the end. I should have known that bastard would betray you, I should have thought of another way to get to Mt. Fuji, but I didn't!"

Naruto stared at him with wide eyes. Shukaku blamed himself for the war? "What… Why on earth would you think our loss was your fault? A human even warned me personally that Yamata no Orochi was going to betray me, and I didn't listen. And hell, the whole war was my fault, anyway! Why would you blame yourself?" he asked incredulously.

Gaara scowled at the ground. "You trusted me with strategies and planning. I should have had a contingency plan. I was too confident."

"Oh, right, because none of us could be charged with being too confident back then," Naruto scoffed. Gradually, Gaara raised his head, a deep frown on his face. Naruto continued, "You have nothing to blame yourself for, Shukaku. And I'd apologize to you for the whole fucking mess we're in, but I've had enough threats to my balls lately, and I'd like to keep them intact."

Gaara snorted, then looked surprised at himself. His severe expression faded, replaced by weary fondness as he looked up at his ex-commander.

"I've been agonizing over my failure for the last thousand years, and you absolve me of it in ten seconds." He gave Naruto a weak half-smile. "Perhaps you haven't changed as much as I thought."

Naruto gave his shoulders another squeeze, then finally released him. Something in the other demon's eyes told him that Gaara was still a long way from forgiving himself, but at least now, they had time to correct that. "Well, if I'd known you were going to blame yourself, I'd have found a way to send you a message." He clenched a fist and waved it teasingly. "I can still give you a whack upside the head if you want."

Gaara's eyes briefly flashed gold, and the weak smile evolved into a smirk. "Only if you think you can handle a real sparring session, and somehow I don't think my cloaking illusions will cover that."

Naruto laughed. "I'll take a rain check on that. Or, uh. Wind check?" When Gaara rolled his eyes, the fox demon gently bumped their shoulders together. "And just so you know, I never cared what people said about you. Sure, you liked to drink a lot back then and you had that really eerie giggle, but you were _incredible_ in battle, and I've never once seen you divert from something once you put your mind to it." He smiled down at the smaller man. "You never give yourself enough credit. I don't think it's odd that I learned to respect you."

A strange expression crossed Gaara's face, muscles tightening around his lips and eyes. With anyone else, his obvious emotional distress would have led to something embarrassing. Clearing his throat, Naruto chose to diffuse the heavy atmosphere.

"Or, at least, I did until you decided to get us butt-lost in your own city."

And just like that, the odd expression on Gaara's face vanished, replaced with exasperation and a hint of smugness. "Did you think I was leading you around randomly?" he asked, his voice just a hint too dry to be completely casual.

Naruto spread his arms wide, indicating the close-knit buildings they were passing, which happened to look exactly like every other street they'd walked down.

"Do you see a rhyme or reason to this? Because if the point was that Sand is a boring town with boring buildings, I think I got the message."

The tanuki demon smirked. "I won't argue over the merits of a town built on my ashes, but…" Abruptly, the redhead turned left and paused, haughtily looking over his shoulder. "I would not call this a 'random destination.'"

Curious, Naruto stepped up beside him and froze, eyes widening. Merely a few steps ahead of them, the buildings opened up into a narrow plaza filled to the brim with loud merchants and busy stands. Colors and enticing scents filled the air, transforming the dreary buildings into an explosion of life and energy. As soon as Naruto spied the merchandise, his face lit up.

"Ah! Is this where you were taking me?" Excitement bubbled up within Naruto's chest, and a grin nearly cracked his face in two. Beside him, Gaara nodded.

"I thought you might appreciate the noise, and I recall that you were always fond of human trinkets." Pale blue eyes swept over him, then returned to the sprawling bazaar. "Does it meet with your approval?"

Definitely smug. Naruto chuckled, clasping Gaara's hand and dragging him towards the bustling business center.

"It does, it does. Let's check it out!"

Chuckling, Gaara complied. As they approached the first table, Naruto cast a curious eye over the strange knickknacks and jewelry. Before he could help himself, the insistent thought that Sasuke would probably like to see this pushed its way into his head. In his own grumpy, exasperated way, Sasuke had seemed to enjoy Naruto's enthusiasm for discovering the modern world, even going so far as to laugh occasionally. The younger man's face would light up for a moment, taking away all those thick barriers he lived behind. And whenever that happened, Sasuke was beautiful.

"What is?" Gaara leaned over the table, startling Naruto out of his thoughts. "Did something catch your eye?"

_Crap, I actually said some of that out loud?_ "Uh. Yeah. In fact, I was thinking of getting you something. If, you know," he leaned away from the distracted merchant on the other side of the table and murmured into Gaara's ear, "I can get away with a bit of counterfeiting."

Gaara gave him a dry look. "The merchant will only hear what I wish for him to hear, Kyuubi-sama, and as long as you keep from spending a fortune, a few fake bills should not cause much unrest. And you are a terrible liar."

Naruto kept his eyes glued to the table, choosing to pick up and fiddle with a small pendant necklace. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The tanuki demon sighed. "Your fascination with this human amazes me."

Swallowing, Naruto put the pendant down. "I didn't say anything about Sasuke. You're the one who made me talk about him before."

"Which you promptly took advantage of. And it was clear what you were thinking." Gaara frowned. "I cannot fathom your attachment to him. He's a mortal. He will continue to be a pest, grow old, and die. Your…obsession disconcerts me."

"Hey now, I'm not obsessed!" he protested, moving on to the next table which had fabrics and desert clothing in various styles on display. "I've been practically living in his pocket for weeks. What else would I talk about that you don't already know? Our past masters? No offense, but I don't particularly want to go there."

Gaara grunted, moving leisurely to his side. "Neither do I."

Naruto sorted idly through the clothing hanging on a rack. "You're right, though," he continued quietly. "Sasuke will get old, and he will die, eventually." His fingers paused on a deep red garment, and he forced some cheer into his voice. "The gods are lucky on that front. Any person, mortal or otherwise, chosen by a god to be their spouse gets to live forever."

Gaara stiffened beside him, staring at him with something akin to shock. "Then you are planning to stay with him? Your obsession runs that deep?"

Naruto shot him an irritated glance. "I told you, I'm not obsessed. I just. I like him. Is that so wrong?"

Seconds ticked by as Gaara gazed at him, understanding dawning on his face. "You're smitten."

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"What do you think is his best feature?" Gaara abruptly questioned, eyebrows furrowing. Naruto stared at him.

_Sasuke's best feature?_ Immediately, a rare sight came to mind, and the fox demon looked away.

"…His smile," he eventually replied under his breath. He sighed. "Sasuke has a beautiful smile."

Gaara slowly nodded, as if that made all of the disturbing sense in the world. "You are smitten with him."

_Smitten?_ Horribly, Naruto felt his cheeks begin to burn. "No, I'm not."

"You want him, don't you? You think about him constantly, you are obsessed with his good opinion of you, and by your own words, you 'like' him. You're smitten." Gaara made a face somewhere between amusement and disgust.

"Well, I—He just—that's not—!" _Oh god, what if he's right?_ Scowling, Naruto pivoted on his foot and began stalking down the crowded walkway. Gaara followed closely behind him, which wasn't helping the thoughts that pounded against his temples like a tsunami. _It's true, I've recently become a lot more willing to help him out, and I grant his wishes without him even asking me. And I like trying to make him happy. And I want to impress him. And be important to him. Fuck!_

Like the irritatingly unhelpful little burr he'd become, Gaara continued, "If Sasuke attempted to seduce you, what would you do?"

Naruto automatically snorted. "Sasuke would never—"

As if Gaara had pressed an invisible terribision remote, a scene unfolded in the fox demon's mind. _Sasuke lounging naked on his bed, his pale, smooth skin on full display while his legs sprawled wantonly over the sheets. He was propped up on one elbow, smirking knowingly at Naruto as he ran a hand over his chest. Leisurely, Sasuke lifted that hand, palm up, and slowly curled each finger one by one until only his index finger remained extended. And then, heat burning in his eyes, Sasuke crooked his index finger invitingly._

"_Well, usuratonkachi?"_

The scene was dramatically interrupted by Naruto's face abruptly colliding with the ground as he tripped over his own feet. He groaned pathetically.

_Fuck. Me._

Gaara's feet came to a stop beside his head. Eventually, a low, darkly amused voice stated, "I believe that answers that question."

"Just because he's sexy doesn't mean I'm smitten," Naruto muttered into the ground.

"And if he attempted to seduce you into doing something? Could you say no? Considering how much you seem to want to make him happy, and the fact that he'd essentially be promising to make you happy in return?"

Fuck. If Sasuke ever, _ever_ tried that on him, Naruto might permanently lose his ability to say no. To anything. Ever. He groaned again. Shit, this was _horrible_ news! How the hell had this happened?

Naruto ground his face into the hard road surface. "This isn't fair," he whined, voice muffled by the pavement. "I'm Kyuubi no Kitsune. I'm not supposed to be smitten or wrapped around somebody's finger. I'm practically all-powerful!"

"'Practically' being the operative word, I assume." Gaara's gaze burned into the back of Naruto's head. "Please stop debasing yourself and get up."

With a low whine, Naruto rose to his hands and knees, then climbed to his feet. He rubbed a hand over his face. "Thank the gods that Sasuke isn't the seducing type," he muttered, mostly to himself. "I'd be permanently screwed if he figured out that's all he'd have to do to get me to do whatever he wants."

_Granted, I'm pretty much doing whatever he wants right now. When the hell did __**that**__ become a habit?_ he wondered despairingly. He sighed heavily.

After a moment of watching him, Gaara inquired, "Is Sasuke planning to free you?"

Naruto stiffened, then wearily shook his head as he lowered his hand. "I don't have the slightest idea. And even if he is, it'll be ridiculously difficult. Our bond is too deep."

The tanuki demon winced faintly. "The deeper the bond, the greater the sacrifice required."

"Exactly," Naruto exhaled. "And hell, he wouldn't even know what name to use, since I'm not allowed to say it! At least Temari knows yours."

"Actually, I'm not sure that she does," Gaara replied absently. He frowned. "Then Uchiha Sasuke has not yet figured out who you are?"

Naruto sighed. "You mean, who I'm trying to be? Not yet. He's smart, though, and I've dropped some hints. He'll probably figure it out. Until then, it won't do me much good if he yells out, 'I free you, Kyuubi no Kitsune!'"

Gaara hummed in acknowledgement, one eyebrow lifting. "But you do seem to have faith that he will free you some day, or try to at the very least." His expression darkened. "I hope he is worthy of such devotion from you."

The fox demon shook his head. "Worthy? He's a good person, but I don't know what you'd consider 'worthy.'" He chuckled weakly, looking Gaara in the eye. "It's no wonder that I got a swelled head with a friend like you standing beside me."

Gaara seemed pleased in his typically understated fashion, but there was still a worrying glint in his eyes. "I have learned over time that it is occasionally necessary to save you from yourself, Kyuubi-sama. I will treat this new task the same as any other."

Naruto groaned, rolling his eyes to the sky. "Whatever you do, don't tell him any of this, ok? I'll never live it down if he finds out that I'm…more than a little interested in him."

"You have my word."

"Good." Shaking his head, Naruto marched determinedly to the next stand. "Let's get back to shopping."

Gaara fell quiet at his side, but Naruto couldn't help imagining what might happen if Sasuke _did_ find out. And if, by some miracle, they were able to stay together once he was freed, what would it be like to have a willing, seductive Sasuke at his side?

His eyes glazed over as he lost himself in a daydream.

_Maybe being smitten wouldn't be such a bad thing after all…_

* * *

Sasuke paused at the edge of the museum's rooftop, sweeping the surrounding area with his Sharingan. There were countless chakra trails leading to and from the building, but none showed any sort of dissimilarity that could help him pinpoint his target. Even the older, faded trails on the road lacked any tells. The Uchiha heir frowned. _A necklace with that sort of influence must have a chakra stamp on it, which __**should**__ transfer to the wearer. If there are no trails with a strange chakra mark on them, Sakada-san must not have put it on before he left._

While Sasuke mused over this development, a civilian museum employee unlocked a secure access door to Sasuke's left and stepped inside. After a quick cloaking jutsu, Sasuke swung down from the roof and slipped inside the building before the door shut. There were a series of large boxes filling the room, which appeared to be storage space. The employee paid the boxes no mind and headed straight for a door at the far side of the room. Sasuke watched the young man step into the large display room beyond and instantly recognized it as the showroom where the necklace had previously been displayed, now closed to the public for obvious reasons. As the employee shut the door, the storage room was cast into darkness and silence, interrupted only by the sound of a key throwing the lock. After a moment, Sasuke released his genjutsu and began moving around the boxes.

There had to be something in storage that would give him an idea of what to search for. The empty display case had been removed from the showroom, so it stood to reason that it should be somewhere in the storage room with him…

As Sasuke reached the back right corner of the room, he paused. There, standing by itself, was a black pillar and a multilayered glass case. Perfectly ordinary to any civilian or ninja without sight-driven blood traits.

To his Sharingan, however, the entire display was glowing. Golden chakra stained every inch of the glass and pillar as if they'd been soaked in it, and a small amount streaked the floor where the display case had been set down and shoved into the corner. Sasuke frowned, eyeing the chakra with distaste. If the case alone was that saturated with chakra, what would happen to anyone handling it every day? The necklace must have been _broadcasting_ to have had such an effect on its surroundings. He grimaced. _And thanks to that golden color, now I know for sure that Shukaku is involved. Which means that this entire mission might be some sort of trap after all._

Sasuke reactivated his cloaking genjutsu and slipped out the back door, frowning as he leapt onto the neighboring building's roof. The only part of this mission that _didn't_ scream set-up was the fact that the Kazekage was apparently facing a PR fallout if the necklace weren't returned to its proper place soon. That sort of thing couldn't wait two days for Sasuke to show up and take the blame. He sighed. Aside from completing his mission, he had no options available. If it were a trap of some sort, he'd just have to work with it.

With that thought in mind, Sasuke cast a considering eye over the city. The lack of a case history sheet actually told him more than if the sheet had been present. If the Kazekage didn't want to show Sasuke what he'd already tried, that meant that all of the normal avenues of investigation had turned up nothing. Sakada-san wouldn't be found at his home, nor was he hiding out in any of the warehouses—abandoned or occupied—that punctuated the city streets. The Uchiha heir frowned, glancing at the high, sheer canyon cliffs that rimmed the city.

_If I were possessed by a necklace that could control sand, I would head outside of the city and into the desert itself to try it out. _Sasuke scowled. _He could have gone in any direction, and he left no chakra trail. How the hell am I supposed to find him?_

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Sasuke made his way to the cliffs nearest him by running along the oddly curved roofs towards the outskirts of town. The dark sandstone rose high above him, casting the ground into a shadow that was rapidly growing shorter as the sun passed overhead. The Uchiha heir alighted on the ground just within the shadows, casting a quick glance around him. No one appeared to be watching him, although if Sand ninjas were any good at stealth, they wouldn't be. With an internal shrug, Sasuke placed his hands upon the somewhat cool sand beneath him and closed his eyes.

Carefully controlling his chakra, Sasuke sent out a long, thin filament into the rocks before him, then began sweeping it to the side. There were traces of demonic chakra within this section of the cliffs, but they were relatively dull and faded. He needed a _new_ imprint. Eyebrows furrowed, he tried to expand his search radius, but he turned up nothing. Snorting a sharp breath out of his nose, Sasuke opened his eyes and glared up at the cliffs. If he tried this method on each section of the cliffs surrounding the city, it'd take him all day. He could technically use some of Kyuubi's chakra and be able to search most of the city at once, but Naruto would notice instantly. Sasuke scowled. _I'm not using his chakra unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm not some weakling who needs to lean on him for everything._

He had to figure out some other way of determining where the thief went with the necklace. Glowering, he made to rise, but then paused and eyed the ground. When he'd teased Naruto by cloaking his chakra with that of his surroundings, he'd noticed that the earth itself actually had energy, and he'd pulled a little into his body to complete his camouflage. That energy didn't move easily, but he couldn't deny that there was a lot of it. Theoretically, it would be more than enough to complete his search and locate Sakada-san. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke spread his hands and pushed down into the sand. He closed his eyes, focusing on the chakra lurking beneath his fingertips.

He couldn't imagine that he could actually manipulate earth chakra the way he did everything else, but if he could just tap into enough of it…

When his probing finally reached the deeply buried well of chakra, it almost felt like hitting bone. A bead of sweat wound its way down his cheek as he tried to press his way into the chakra. A small amount came trickling up his fingers, but the majority pushed back against him. Determinedly, Sasuke pushed harder. He could feel the earth chakra shifting, slowly parting as if to let him in…

With a gasp, Sasuke felt the earth chakra abruptly respond to him, surging into his body with tremendous force. He could see everything; he could see for miles and miles around the city, every peak and valley, every sand dune and plant, and everything that touched the ground. There was information about everything in the surge of chakra, skating dark brown over his mind and spiraling out into the edges of his consciousness like fireworks. He could hear a deep hum underneath it all, the sound of the earth churning within itself. For a long moment, Sasuke found himself adrift in the sea of chakra, letting it settle over him with crushing, yet oddly comforting weight.

Somewhere within the wealth of information, Sasuke distractedly noticed two peaks of intense chakra at different corners of the city. It was odd, he thought idly, because such power rarely amassed in one place at the same time. He let the thought go as easily as it had come to him, hunkering down comfortably in the vast array of chakra. After an endless pause, he picked up on a third chakra point far outside the city, similar to one of the first two. Despite the peaceful lassitude that dominated his mind, Sasuke found himself frowning. There was something about that third chakra point. Something important.

_Important_. The word stuck out jarringly in his mind. What could possibly be so important? Everything was fixed eventually through time. If something were displaced, the sand would eventually move to cover it. Nothing to worry about. And yet, it was important. Something within him insisted. Something…someone. Someone was also important to him, now that he thought about it. Someone who would be worried about him right now, for some reason that Sasuke was having trouble remembering. Maybe it was the fact that he was having difficulty remembering? His frown faded as the peacefulness insistently returned, but he still found himself searching for a name. Who was it?

_Naruto._

With a jolt, Sasuke snapped back to attention, hurriedly releasing the earth chakra. It rushed out of him like a waterfall, leaving his limbs shaking and aching in its absence. He blinked rapidly, realizing with some alarm that the world had gone entirely white. Peeling his suddenly painful hands off the ground, he rubbed furiously at his eyes with the back of his hands and deactivated the Sharingan. Gradually, the white spots faded—mucous?—and Sasuke found himself staring at a completely sunlit rock wall. His knees were screaming, and sweat was streaming down his face and arms. With a grunt, Sasuke gingerly rose to his feet.

_How long was I crouching there?_ he wondered confusedly, head swimming as blood fought to get to his newly elevated brain. Shielding his sore eyes with his arm, Sasuke glanced up at the sky and discovered to his shock that the sun was now completely behind him. He had to have been sitting there, staring at nothing, for _hours_. Wincing, he made to lower his arm, but then he abruptly noticed the state of his hand. He raised both palms in front of his face, staring at them incredulously.

His hands were bloody, as if the skin had been scraped away. A glance at the ground revealed two perfectly hand-shaped bloodstains in the sand. _Well fuck, no wonder I'm woozy. I'm suffering from dehydration and blood loss, and I'm probably seconds away from fucking heatstroke. _Scowling, Sasuke gingerly reached into a pouch on his side for his med kit. He fumbled a packet of disinfectant out of his kit, tore it open with his teeth, and spread it carefully over his stinging hands. Next, he pulled out a roll of gauze and began wrapping his hands, glowering as his unwrapped hand put stains on the clean material. He used as little material as he could on his left hand, then properly bound his right hand, and then finally rewrapped his left with clean gauze. Grimacing, he delicately flexed his individually wrapped fingers.

_I must look like a fool_, he thought darkly, reaching for his canteen. He drained half of it in one go, and then forced himself to pause before taking a second swig. _Anyone could have been watching me stare into space for the last several hours, and I still haven't made any progre—_

**Three miles outside of town to the West. A deep, artificially created tunnel, completely invisible to the naked eye due to the patch of sand being held over the entrance. **

Blinking, Sasuke processed that bit of information. He knew exactly where Sakada was hiding, he knew that the man was wearing the necklace and clearly had been for hours, and he even knew how long the man had been hiding out in the desert (**fifteen hours**). Hell, at this moment, so long as nobody moved, he could pinpoint the location of every person within a twenty-mile radius, including the two ninja, who had clearly been sent to keep an eye on him, that were lurking in the alleyway directly behind him.

Slowly, Sasuke allowed a supremely smug smile to settle upon his lips. He may not have done it the way anyone expected him to, but he'd managed to solve their mystery in mere hours when the Sand ninja had obviously been searching for a solid day. Hell, he'd just figured out how to manipulate _earth chakra_, for god's sake. He hadn't thought about it while connected, but now that he was back to normal, he was fully aware that while he was channeling that chakra, he could've made the ground beneath the entire village open up, or brought down the cliffs themselves. It was all connected.

Grinning, Sasuke finished off his water and headed back into town. He had to cross the village to get at their thief on the opposite side, and there was a tremendous fountain near the center of the city with buckets for dousing. He'd take a moment to refresh himself, refill his canteen, and then go take down Sakada. His grin widened. _Easy as cake._

* * *

Naruto swung a small bag at his side, humming lightly to himself as he and Gaara finally began to leave the bazaar. The smaller man had been pensive for a good portion of the day, although his pale blue eyes glinted with amusement as Naruto exclaimed over the various items on display. Even when Naruto had given in and bought a few small things—including a small gift for Sasuke, although the bastard was such an asshole every time Naruto did something nice for him that the demon was intensely considering not giving it to him at all—Gaara had mostly just seemed pleased that Naruto was having fun. The tanuki demon didn't seem interested in getting anything for himself.

Which left it up to Naruto. Pursing his lips, he paused at a stand near the entrance and perused the same clothing rack he'd browsed when trying to fend off Gaara's questions. He'd spotted something then, but he'd been too distracted to make note of it. As his fingers once again came into contact with the red cloth, he broke into a grin.

"Aha!" Naruto pulled the garment off the rack with a flair, holding it out in front of a startled Gaara. The long-sleeved coat was deep red, the hem brushing perfectly against Gaara's ankles. In keeping with the need for desert clothing to permit air movement, only the top half of the garment zipped shut; the bottom half was split in the front to hang loosely around the legs. It was far more interesting than the black shirt the smaller man was walking around in now, and it didn't clash with his hair! It was perfect.

Pale blue eyes flicked down to the coat and then back up at Naruto. "Is there something you are trying to tell me, Kyuubi-sama?"

Naruto grinned and gently pressed the coat against his friend's chest. "You should go try this on. I think it'll look amazing on you."

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "I have no interest in new clothing."

"Aw, come on," Naruto cajoled. "It never hurts to try something new. And look at this thing, it's perfect for you! I think it'll look downright sexy."

The other eyebrow rose. "Exactly what need do I have to look sexy?"

Naruto gave him a pointed look. "There is never a reason to _not_ look sexy."

Gaara stared at him dryly. After a few minutes of perfectly executed silence on the redhead's part, Naruto sighed.

"Alright, fine. If you want to keep wearing the same thing you've probably been wearing for centuries, be my guest, but I still don't think it would've hurt to try it…" He trailed off as he pulled the garment away. "…On."

Gaara's clothing now perfectly resembled the coat. And Naruto had been right: it did look sexy, clinging to his slender torso and emphasizing the length of his legs. Naruto glanced at the fabric in his hands, then up at his friend's poorly hidden smirk, and rolled his eyes.

"Very funny, you little showoff." With exaggerated dignity, he lifted his chin and returned the coat to the rack. "At least I was right. It looks good on you."

Gaara gave him a small, satisfied smile. "Thank you, Kyuubi-sama."

Shaking his head, Naruto led the way back out of the bazaar. As they hit the normal streets, he fell back and let Gaara take the lead.

"Say, I have a question. Would you be forbidden to talk about classified Sand business with me?" he asked curiously. Gaara glanced at him in surprise.

"No. The Kazekage assumed I would never willingly talk to anyone, and Temari never got around to forbidding me. You may ask whatever you wish."

Naruto stepped closer, lowering his voice unnecessarily. "What is the Kazekage up to with this big mission? Is Sasuke in any danger?"

Gaara frowned. "I'm afraid that I do not know the details of it, but yes, I believe that the Kazekage is planning to find a way to harm Sasuke. I do not think that he plans to kill him, but I overheard something about a great deal of damage that he intends to pin on your Uchiha."

Naruto scowled. "Do you know what the mission is?"

Gaara shook his head. "No. Although…" A troubled expression fleetingly crossed his face. "It seems that he is planning to have me and Temari-sama included in the team. Why he wants us there, I do not know."

"But it can't be good," Naruto concluded darkly. "Great." _So he'll have a demon against Sasuke, too. Dammit, I don't care what Sasuke says, there is no fucking way I'll let him go alone on this one. Not if he's going to be up against Shukaku. The only one who'd have a chance of defeating him is me. _Grimly, he patted the tanuki demon on the shoulder.

"Let's hurry up and get back to the tower. I have some more snooping to do."

With a sharp nod, Gaara raised his hands. The two demons disappeared in a wave of sand, rushing towards the Kazekage tower at high speed. Within seconds, the wave settled down against the same door they had departed from, and Naruto abruptly hit the ground, gasping. The remaining sand coalesced into the original bunshin. Naruto glared up at him.

"I _hate_ travelling that way. Couldn't you have warned me?"

Gaara smirked. "You wanted to get back quickly." With that, he opened the door and waited. "Shall we?"

Grumbling, Naruto stomped to his feet and tried to shake off the countless grains of sand now clinging to him. A hand through his hair resulted in a blinding downpour. When Gaara smothered a snicker, Naruto growled at him.

"You're a bastard, you know that?"

"So you tell me. I don't recall whether my parentage was legitimate or not." Laughter lurked behind the words as Gaara gestured towards the open doorway. "I shall simply take your word for it, Kyuubi-sama. Shall we?"

Naruto gave in to the urge to stick his tongue out at his friend as he stormed past him and into the building. With a thoroughly amused smile, Gaara followed him. They quietly made their way up the stairs and down the hallway, pausing before Naruto's guest bedroom. The fox demon opened the door, but instead of entering, he leaned in towards Gaara's bunshin.

"I'll be fine from here on out," he murmured, eyes going soft. "Thanks for getting me out of here for a bit."

Gaara gazed at him for a long moment, then gave him a small smile. "It was my pleasure, Kyuubi-sama."

There was a faint glimmer over the smaller man's shoulders that signaled the release of his illusion in the empty hallway. Gaara gave him a short bow, locked eyes with him for a pregnant heartbeat, and then dissolved into sand that quickly whisked itself away. Naruto sighed, turning into the bedroom and throwing his small bag into the corner. He waved a hand at the bed, creating a double to lie there and look bored in case someone should come to check on him. Effortlessly, he wrapped his chakra tightly around himself and used it to make himself invisible to the naked eye, eliciting a shiver as he did so. Huffing silently, he made his way to the door, peered down the hallway, and slipped out of the room, a grim expression on his face.

It was time to get to work.

* * *

Sasuke trudged across the desert, his refilled canteen smacking against his hip as he walked. His clothes and hair, which had gotten soaked when he'd reached the fountain and used one of the nearby buckets to douse himself, were already dry thanks to the outstanding heat. During his short break, he'd also managed to choke down several protein and energy bars, which made him feel far more human. Even the aches in his limbs had disappeared—after all, he'd been forced to crouch for longer than three or four hours before, although never in such heat. His only remaining problem was his hands.

He frowned down at his bandages, darkened under the blood that had finally stopped flowing. As proud as he was for learning to access earth chakra, a feat he certainly didn't think Itachi could handle, he was concerned by the wounds left behind. Were his hands the only part of him that'd been injured because he'd used them to channel the chakra? And if so, why hadn't he felt them hurting until after he was done? Was it the use itself that had caused the injury, or his rushed release of all that energy?

_Either way_, he mused as he finally came upon the entrance to the hidden tunnel that Sakada had sequestered himself away in, _I'll have to figure out how to use it effectively. _He smirked. _Maybe I'll start with Sakada-san as my guinea pig._

Engaging his Sharingan, Sasuke peered at the sand covering the tunnel's entrance. It was stained bright gold with Shukaku's chakra, as was the dry sand above the tunnel itself. If Sasuke had to guess, Sakada was probably holding the entire structure up. Grimacing at the entrance, Sasuke stepped forward, crouched down, and tried a simple chakra interruption jutsu. To his surprise, it actually worked, and the sand tumbled down into the tunnel. When no noises were forthcoming, Sasuke cautiously cloaked himself and dropped into the tunnel.

The caretaker's hideaway wasn't particularly large. The tunnel was approximately one and a half meters wide and two meters deep, sloping gently downwards. Due to the excessive chakra, the sand of the tunnel was nearly blinding to the Sharingan, and Sasuke highly considered turning it off. He carefully made his way down the tunnel, reaching into his back left pouch and deftly removing three kunai. He placed them between his bandaged fingers as he moved.

He knew he'd reached Sakada before the man actually came into sight. Chakra flowed and pulsed wildly around him, stretching out into the walls of the dark tunnel. The entire hideaway ended in a simple, tiny, rounded room, where the small man crouched against the far wall, rocking back and forth in short, quick movements. The necklace was streaming out chakra so rapidly that the man might as well have been wearing a beacon. Sasuke squinted in the harsh glow. He slowly shifted forward, and his hand reached out for the pressure point on the man's neck.

Abruptly, Sakada raised his head and whipped around, screaming, "Who's there?" The walls of the room shuddered fitfully, prompting Sasuke to take a hurried step backwards. A good idea, as it turned out—seconds later, a spike made of sand shot through the area he had occupied and pierced the ceiling. Sasuke glowered.

"Who's there?" Sakada repeated, his screeching voice grating against Sasuke's ears. "Who are you? I'll kill you if you don't show yourself!"

Tiny spikes appeared all over the walls, clearly capable of launching forward at any moment. Moving his weapon-laden hand behind his back, Sasuke dropped his cloaking genjutsu.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, Sakada-san," he began in what he hoped was a soothing voice. He doubted it. "The Kazekage asked me to find you."

"The Kazekage?" As the man peered at him, the violent glow from the necklace began to fade. His features slowly came into view. "He must want what's rightfully mine!"

"He…" Sasuke trailed off at the beginning of his reply as he finally got a good look at the man in front of him. Sakada no longer looked anything like his photo. Gone were the dusting of middle-aged wrinkles and the salt-and-pepper hair. Instead, the man's skin had been almost completely replaced with sand, save for a strip down the center of his throat and his nose and mouth. His eyes gleamed crazily beneath furrowed brows of sand, and the necklace, which had once boasted eight pieces of clear, jagged glass, now had seven blood red pieces and one in front that was a rapidly darkening pink. Sasuke stared at him, abruptly certain of what the "temporary" control of sand alluded to. With difficulty, he cleared his throat and continued. "The Kazekage is concerned for you, and he wants his heirloom returned to its rightful place in the museum."

Sakada shook his head violently, raising an arm of sand to point a shaking finger at Sasuke. "You lie! The Jewel of the Desert doesn't belong in the museum. It called to me. It _wanted_ me to take it, to taste its power! _I'm_ its rightful owner, not him!"

"Sakada-san," Sasuke began, trying to keep his voice level. He inched forward. "That necklace is dangerous. I have reason to believe that it may be killing you. You need to take it off."

"Killing me? _Killing_ me?" The possessed man burst out in laughter. "It's given me a whole new life! A life as a god! I can control the desert itself!"

"You can control some of the sand in it," Sasuke firmly corrected. "And if it's been so good to you, why are you hiding out here?"

There was a momentary glint of fear in the older man's eyes before the manic light returned. "I was afraid that the Kazekage would find me. That he would take away my power before I had reached my full potential. Don't you see? I _had_ to hide. I couldn't let him keep me from achieving my destiny!"

This could turn very ugly very quickly once the man recalled that Sasuke had been sent for that very purpose. Sasuke slowly stepped forward, his free hand up in what would look like a placating manner.

"I understand, Sakada-san. Why don't you let me help you? I can get you out of this tunnel, and then you can try out all your new powers. What do you say?"

Before Sakada could reply, Sasuke darted forward and pressed the pressure point at the man's jugular as hard as he could. The sand simply compressed beneath his fingers. Quickly, Sasuke switched to trying to control the necklace's chakra, but it resisted. Sakada stared at him.

_Fuck._

As swiftly as he could, Sasuke raced backwards and threw his kunai at the transformed man. They sent unerringly into Sakada's chest, tearing his clothes, but they did no damage. Fury unfolded on his opponent's face.

"You're one of _THEM!_" The scream was followed by countless spikes that raced towards Sasuke even as he hurriedly cloaked himself. Thankfully, his Sharingan gave him those extra precious seconds he needed to dodge. Shrieking, Sakada turned and began burrowing deeper into the sand, throwing spikes haphazardly behind him as he went. Scowling, Sasuke pursued him.

_I can't control his chakra, and I can't cut him using normal means._ Sasuke glanced at the walls of the tunnel. _But maybe…_

The Uchiha heir reached over his shoulder and yanked a small katana out of a sheath strapped to his back. Wincing, he placed a hand against the wall as he ran, wrapped fingers trailing against the sand. The earth chakra was hiding underneath the demonic energy. He gritted his teeth and yanked at the earth energy.

It came away much more easily this time, but instead of letting it flow up his arm, Sasuke immediately redirected the foreign chakra into his katana. The blade began to glow a deep, rusty orange, humming in the chaotic tunnel. Sasuke pulled his hand away from the wall, and when the next spike darted out if front of him, he swung his sword.

It sliced clean through the demonic spike, shattering it into thousands of grains of sand.

Triumphant, Sasuke began hacking his way down the tunnel, destroying all of the spikes that he could reach and dodging the few that he couldn't. He quickly gained ground on Sakada, who had taken to weaving wildly back and forth as he dug. As Sasuke approached, Sakada cast a panicked glance over his shoulder, but from what Sasuke could see, the man's eyes were gone. Sasuke's stomach twisted at the sight.

"Sakada-san—" he tried, but his Sharingan interrupted him by projecting a dozen large spikes that were about to head in his direction. Cursing, Sasuke pushed at the earth chakra within the sword and forced it to remain in the air as he swung the blade in a giant, vertical circle before him. A second later, the sand spikes crashed uselessly against his impromptu shield and dissolved. A second swing recollected the chakra, and Sasuke shifted into a prepared stance, his katana poised at his waist. Sakada had finally stopped running and was standing with his back to the wall, gasping for breath. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Sakada-san. Take off the necklace," he ordered firmly. The other man violently shook his head. The crystal on the front of the necklace was mostly red, only the tip remaining pink. On the man in front of him, the transformation had already stolen what was left of his neck and his nose, leaving only a small patch around his mouth that was rapidly disappearing. "Take it off, _now._"

The other man's head lolled back against the wall as he laughed weakly. "No," Sakada rasped. "You can't make me. This is my destiny."

Sasuke scowled. He'd never had any patience for idiots, and his limited diplomacy was rapidly failing him. He wasn't supposed to kill Sakada, but as he inched forward and stole another glance at the cursed necklace, he grimly admitted that the other man most likely wasn't going to survive anyway. Lifting his sword, he prepared to sever the possessed man's neck.

Before he could move, however, the last piece of glass finally completed its change and flashed a brilliant red. Sakada's nearly featureless face broke into a startled expression, jaw dropping open and mounded eyebrows rising. His hands rose towards his throat as his mouth also transformed into sand. In the sudden silence that followed, Sakada made a short, horrific gurgling noise. Head tipping impossibly far back, Sakada fell to his knees and gurgled again. His jaw worked in a soundless scream. Shaking violently, one hand peeled itself away from his throat and reached blindly out towards Sasuke. Then, with a final, horrible screech, the man's body collapsed in a heap of sand and clothing. The blood-red necklace lay half-buried at the top of the mound.

Grimacing, Sasuke placed the tip of his katana underneath the necklace and lifted it out of the remains of the caretaker. After a moment's thought, he fished out the man's clothing and carefully wrapped them around the glowing, menacing piece of jewelry. Just to be safe, Sasuke pushed some of his stolen earth chakra into an empty pouch, using the energy as a shield as he placed the bound necklace inside it. Sighing, he turned to make his way back up the tunnel.

The ground began to tremble ominously.

Sasuke stared at the roof of the tunnel with wide eyes. _Fuck, fuck, fuck! With Sakada-san gone, nothing's holding this damn thing up!_ Pushing his chakra into his legs, Sasuke raced as quickly as he could up the unstable pathway. At some point, the tip of his katana brushed against a wall. Immediately afterwards, that section collapsed, sand slapping against Sasuke's heels.

"Fuck!" Sasuke hurriedly moved to sheath his blade, but a desperate idea occurred to him. He was too far underground to make it out before the tunnel gave way, but maybe if he could convince the earth around him to hold still for just a few more seconds…

Sticking his blade back into the wall, he pushed outwards with the borrowed earth chakra. With a groan, the sand around him released the demonic energy and began to tremble under the strain of gravity. Sasuke ground his teeth and focused on the earth chakra, trying to force an image of a strong, stable tunnel into the unyielding energy.

After an endlessly long moment, the tunnel stopped shaking.

Gasping under the sudden strain of holding the place together, Sasuke made his way up the shaft and dragged the katana through the sand. Each step felt like he was lifting concrete shoes. He trudged upwards, eyes squinting for that bit of light that would be his salvation. After what felt like hours, sweat trailing down his trembling arms, Sasuke finally spied the entrance. Adrenaline surged through him, spurring his body with one last burst of energy as he threw himself the last few remaining meters and leapt out of the godforsaken tunnel. Less than a second after his body heavily hit the hot sand, the shaft collapsed and sent a giant cloud into the air. Sasuke rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky, coughing quietly.

_At least I don't have to worry about changing Sakada-san's memories anymore._

The sudden thought made him grimace as he wearily rose to his feet. His katana, still humming with energy, hung limply from his hand. Sighing, Sasuke pressed the tip into the ground and tried to carefully release the earth chakra. It streamed harmlessly into the ground. Sasuke frowned as he lifted the blade and looked at it carefully in the bright sunlight. It was clearly dulled, the fine edge he painstakingly maintained gone after dragging it through so much compacted sand. He screwed up his face, but he re-sheathed the blade without complaint.

Tiredly, Sasuke reached for his canteen and took a much-needed sip. Sakada was dead, and he'd recovered the cursed Jewel of the Desert. It wasn't a best case scenario that he could present to the Kazekage, but at least he'd successfully completed his test mission. Gamely, he lifted his chin and began trudging back towards the city. With his wounded hands, he could make his case for Naruto's involvement on the real mission with relative ease. After all, he could always claim that Naruto had medical knowledge that he preferred to rely on.

As he thought about the demon, a sudden, faint burst of emotion came trickling through their bond. Naruto was highly frustrated about something, and whatever it was, it had to do with Sasuke and the Kazekage. Frowning, the Uchiha heir picked up his pace.

He'd see to the Kazekage and give him back his wretched necklace. Then he'd find out what was wrong with his demonic companion.

Thinking again of his new mastery of earth chakra, Sasuke couldn't help a smug grin. Maybe now Naruto would admit that Sasuke could look after himself.

And maybe, just maybe, he was finally growing strong enough to take Itachi down.

* * *

Orochimaru sat at his desk in his dark office, clutching at his head as he stared unseeingly at the mission reports lodged beneath his elbows. All of the shades were tightly shut and the lights had been turned off to keep his migraine from worsening. Every so often, those dark voices started up again, breaking his concentration and causing his headache to bloom anew. In the far corner of his office, the demons from the underworld muttered silently to each other and glared at him, but each time they ventured close to him, those voices took over and threw that mysterious black chakra at them. As interesting as Orochimaru found his new power, it had several drawbacks. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, when he felt his mind retreating, he felt those other consciousnesses pressing upwards, as if they were trying to force him out of the way. If he slept, he wouldn't wake as himself. He was sure of it.

His mind occasionally drifted to the Uchiha brat and his companion. He needed that blond ninja. The demons from the underworld were clearly unsettled at the boy's name alone, and the voices in his head would quiet momentarily if his name came up. Clearly, Naruto was his last chance at safety and sanity. But how to get him?

Abruptly, Orochimaru became aware of the fact that he was not alone in the room. Jumping to his feet, he swung around to find a tall man in ornate robes standing behind him. The voices in his head were silent, offering no explanations for who this man was. He quickly threw up a calm façade, placing his fingertips against his desk and casually leaning back against it.

"May I help you?" Orochimaru asked with false cheer. The other man stared at him calculatingly, and then, incredibly, turned to look at the demons hiding in the corner.

"I assume it must be tiring," his visitor mused in a quiet, but powerful voice. A chill raced down Orochimaru's spine.

"What is?" he returned, still keeping his tone deliberately nonchalant even as his mind reeled. How could this man see the demons? Even Sasuke couldn't, and the Sharingan was one of the best sight-driven blood traits he knew of.

Fathomless black eyes fixed upon him. "Not knowing who you really are. Or were, as it so happens." There was a considering pause. "I can tell you why you have multiple voices in your head, and why these creatures plague you."

One aristocratic hand gestured idly towards the underworld's demons. They shrank back.

Orochimaru straightened despite himself, eyes narrowing. "And why should I trust you? What do you want in return?"

His visitor smiled, spreading his hands wide. "You should trust me because I have no reason to lie to you. And as for what I want in return…" His smile took on a distinctly menacing edge. "I believe it coincides with what you want, as well."

Orochimaru gave the man a strained smirk. "And how would you know what I want?"

His visitor laughed quietly, the sound resounding heavily in the small room.

"Because I have been acquainted with you for a long time. Longer than you seem to remember." In the blink of an eye, the tall man was standing within a breath of Orochimaru, making the other man reflexively jerk backwards. Those black eyes glinted before his visitor continued.

"It is good to see you again, Yamata no Orochi."

* * *

Sasuke slowly made his way back to the room, frowning pensively. The Kazekage's eyes had gleamed with excitement as he looked upon the necklace, shrugging off the death of the caretaker with such ease that Sasuke highly suspected that the man had known what would become of him. After a few remarks about informing the family and "graciously" allowing Sasuke the next day off to recuperate, the Kazekage essentially shooed Sasuke out of his office. What he intended to do with the necklace, Sasuke wasn't sure, but it gave him a bad feeling.

Shaking his head slowly, he opened the guest bedroom's door. _At least I know how to counter it. He can't be stupid enough to wear it, can he?_

He paused as he entered the room, eyes immediately seeking out the blond man on the bed. Naruto's head shot up as Sasuke closed the door.

"Sasuke!" In a flash, Naruto was in front of him and running his hands briskly over his torso. Sasuke froze in shock. "Are you okay? Did anything happen to you? You never used my chakra, you bastard, even though I could tell you went up against something. What the hell were you thinking? And, shit, what happened to your hands?"

Sasuke blinked at the perfect storm of questions, and he dumbly allowed Naruto to gingerly pick up his hands and clasp them within his own. Warm chakra stole into the skin beneath the bandages, soothing and sealing his wounds. Frowning, Sasuke considered the overly worried man in front of him.

_He was this concerned for me?_ A warm feeling rose up in his chest before Sasuke ruthlessly quashed it and scowled.

"I'm fine. I didn't use your chakra because I didn't need it. I _told_ you that I could handle myself." He looked at his hands, still clasped between Naruto's, and pulled them away with a faint blush. "My hands were injured during an…experiment."

Naruto frowned. "An experiment? With what?"

Sasuke couldn't help the supremely smug smile that settled on his face. Naruto's blue eyes flicked briefly down to his lips, and the blond's frown deepened. Sasuke's smile turned into a grin as he proudly folded his arms over his chest.

"I figured out how to tap into and manipulate earth chakra."

Silence greeted his statement. Naruto stared at him.

"…You what?"

Chuckling, Sasuke cockily shifted his weight to one side. "You heard me. That's why I didn't use your chakra today. As it turns out, I have access to the motherload now."

To his surprise, Naruto didn't immediately react. There were no complaints about Sasuke being reckless or grumbles about him being a genius, and he didn't go in the other direction and happily proclaim his surprise of Sasuke's achievement. He just stood there, looking like Sasuke'd punched him in the stomach.

"…Oh," Naruto finally breathed quietly. He slowly lifted a hand to his hair, looking troubled. "That's, um. I wasn't expecting that. Wasn't it hard to use?"

Sasuke's smile had long since vanished, and his eyebrows furrowed. What was wrong with Naruto? "It was a little overwhelming at first," he grudgingly admitted, "and it doesn't move easily. Yours is certainly easier to use efficiently."

Naruto's frown deepened. "Then why didn't you?"

Irritated, Sasuke opened his mouth to reply that he didn't need the demon's assistance, but his brain suddenly decoded the reason behind Naruto's troubled expression and his mouth closed with a click. He stared at the other man incredulously.

"Are you…" he cleared his throat. "Are you _hurt_ that I didn't use your chakra?"

Naruto glowered. "No. That'd be ridiculous," he muttered petulantly. Sasuke's eyebrows rose.

_He __**is**__ hurt. He wanted to help me that badly?_ Sasuke watched as Naruto, clearly uncomfortable, wandered over to a small bag in the corner and rifled through it. A light bulb went off in Sasuke's mind. Ever since they'd reached Sand, Sasuke had commented continuously on how good he was at standing on his own two feet because he was certain that the powerful demon needed some reminders. Maybe, just maybe, his vehemence had Naruto feeling a little useless?

Clearing his throat, Sasuke changed the subject. "Did you manage to find out what the Kazekage is planning?"

Naruto immediately scowled. "No, damn it. I searched high and low for any documents relevant to your big mission, but they aren't in his office, nor his personal chambers, nor anywhere else I could think to look. Shukaku doesn't know much, either."

Sasuke frowned pensively. _Definitely feeling useless, then._ His frown abruptly morphed into a scowl.

"When were you with Gaara today?"

Naruto glanced up from his bag, blinking surprisedly. "We spent most of the day together, actually. Caught up a bit." He grinned, holding up his bag. "We even went shopping at this awesome bazaar! Konoha sold some cool stuff, but I've _never_ seen some of the crap they've come up with here in Sand. I mean, check this out!"

Apparently completely distracted from their chakra conversation, Naruto pulled out a small glass paperweight and brandished it at Sasuke.

"There's an actual _scorpion_ in there! Granted, I kind of feel bad for the poor thing, but how cool is that? Oh, and look at this!" He pulled out a small keychain, which had a small plastic cactus with an exaggeratedly surprised face attached to it. Naruto grinned. "Isn't it hilarious? Oh, and I also found this, even though I don't know what it is…"

Sasuke tuned him out, watching the glee that blossomed on Naruto's whiskered face as he presented each of his silly knickknacks to the Uchiha heir. The demon was so proud of his discoveries that Sasuke felt his some of his irritation at Gaara's presence fade away. Slowly, he felt a fond smile overcoming him as he watched Naruto enthuse over junk like a small child.

_It's amazing that after everything he's been through, he can still look at the world with such joy._ Sasuke snorted gently, shaking his head. _I don't know if that means he's strong or insane. Or both._ Naruto's happiness was infectious, though, although it was easier to tolerate when said happiness wasn't at his expense. Sasuke could see how his charisma would have drawn people to him. Coupled with his good looks, Kyuubi must've been devastating.

At that moment, Naruto was showing him a portable fan that sprayed water and liberally squirted himself with it. To his horror, Sasuke found himself blushing faintly and internally cursed himself. He shouldn't be having this sort of reaction to fucking _water_, for god's sake. Naruto should be just any other man, getting himself wet.

The problem, Sasuke thought darkly, was that Naruto wasn't just any other man. He was an incredibly powerful, unfortunately handsome demon who was also disturbingly comfortable with his sexuality. And based on his behavior in the past and their near-miss this morning, he wanted Sasuke. The brunet's blush deepened as he recalled the feeling of Naruto pressed against him, the brush of his nails against his chest, and that lustful, alluring glint in his red eyes as he'd leaned in towards Sasuke. He couldn't deny that he'd been seriously tempted to give in. So tempted, in fact, that his body had practically screamed at him as he'd fled from the bed. Putting the situation out of his mind as he went to face the Kazekage had been incredibly difficult to do, and only his years of training had kept him from wandering off into distracted daydreams.

Glancing away from the other man, he couldn't help wondering what would happen if, just once, he gave in to what Naruto wanted—what _he_ might actually want. He could call it an experiment, and when he eventually figured out how to free Naruto, they could both go their separate ways. Sasuke would forget all about it and marry some woman, and Naruto would leave to probably fuck his way through the Fire Country.

That brought another scowl to his face. Even as an experiment of sorts, would it be worth it? What if Naruto only wanted him because he was handy, and not because he actually liked him? His scowl deepened. _No. It's not worth it._ _If I were going to do this, it damn well better be important to the bastard._

The sound of Naruto clearing his throat snapped Sasuke out of his ruminations, and he returned his gaze to the other man. Naruto looked uncomfortable, his face dry once again. He frowned down into the bag, then looked up at Sasuke.

"I actually…" His cheeks, amazingly, began to turn red. "I got you a little something."

Sasuke blinked. "You did? Why?"

Naruto's blush deepened, and he folded his arms over his chest with a huff. "Because I was thinking of you today and I'm a good person. Do you want it or not?"

"You were thinking of me?" _Even though you were with Gaara?_ Sasuke's lips turned up in a gradual smile, which he quickly turned into a smirk. "You can't get me out of your head, can you? Dirty old man that you are."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting everywhere but at Sasuke. "I may have had a little trouble—I mean, it's not that—" He scowled. "I _may_ have missed you today. A lot. Maybe."

Sasuke burst out with a surprised laugh. "You _missed_ me?"

"Oh for crying out loud, _shut up_." He grumbled under his breath as he fished one final item out of the bag and threw it at Sasuke's face. "_Here._ I hope you like it, you jackass."

Sasuke deftly caught the small object, then opened his fist and looked at it curiously. It was a small, thin, black leather bracelet with a simple latch comprised of a hole in one end and a knot in the other. It had no obvious markings on it. Perplexed, Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. What made Naruto get this for him?

"Push a little of your chakra into it, and look at it with the Sharingan," came the blond's quiet voice.

Shrugging mentally, Sasuke did so. Within the smooth black leather, the chakra danced along a hidden design of a coiled dragon. Sasuke's eyebrows rose sharply.

"It won't do that unless you deliberately put your chakra into it, so I figured, even as a ninja, you might be able to wear it." When Sasuke looked up, Naruto's face turned a brilliant shade of red. "Or not. It doesn't really matter, I just thought of you when I saw it. Now stop looking at me like that and tell me you love it."

To his unending amazement, he actually did love the gift. He cleared his throat, trying to find something to say that wouldn't humiliate them both.

"I… Thank you. I'll wear it." Great, now they were both blushing. Sasuke raked his mind for a way to diffuse the suddenly awkward atmosphere. "I had no idea you were so sweet, Naruto," he continued sarcastically. "The next time I'm out on a mission without you, I'll try to remember to bring something back for you. Or should I simply carve our names into a bunch of trees, 'N + S 4ever'?"

Naruto scowled and rose to his feet, jabbing an accusing finger in his direction. "See, I _knew_ you'd be a jerk about this. Can't you ever just thank me like a normal person?"

Sasuke gave him a flat look, sticking the bracelet in his pocket. "In case you weren't listening, I just did. Since when are you so sensitive? Is this a new feature, right up there with the mother-henning?"

"I _wasn't_ mother-henning!" Naruto ground his teeth together. "Why is it such a crime that I was worried about you? Don't you have any idea how weird that is for me? That I cared whether you got hurt?"

Sasuke frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Well, as much as we like to pretend otherwise, I _am_ your master. If I got hurt—"

"Bullshit," Naruto spat. "That only matters so long as you're not dead. I care whether or not you get hurt because I care about—"

Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto cut himself off, sighed, and continued.

"I care about _you_, Sasuke, for all that you're a fucking pain in the ass."

"Gee, thanks," he returned sarcastically. "You're a ray of sunshine yourself. If I'm such a pain in the ass, then why were you all over me when I got home? You said yourself that you _missed_ me."

At the mockingly simpering tone that he put into the word "missed," Naruto's expression darkened.

"You really have no idea how fucking disturbing that is for me, do you?" he ranted. "Do you really have no concept of who I am? I'm Kyuubi no Kitsune, for fuck's sake! I used to be the ruler of the entire Fire Country, and I had people _begging_ to be around me. And then I got stuck in this fucking genie gig, and all I could think about for the last _thousand years_ was the fact that I wanted just ten minutes to myself. I had all the time in the world today, and how did I spend it? By missing _you!_"

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sasuke fired back. "I'm sure you spent all day flirting with everyone you could see, anyway, so I'm having trouble imagining when you fit in the time to miss _me._"

If Naruto had been a fox, Sasuke was sure that the fur on his spine and tail would be standing out straight. As it was, the man growled and stalked over to him, backing Sasuke up against the wall.

"For your information, _Sasuke_, I didn't flirt with anyone today! It never even crossed my mind!"

Sasuke snorted bitterly, shoving ineffectually at Naruto's broad shoulders. "Then I'm sure it was only because you had your precious _Gaara_ at your side. What, you didn't get a chance to take it up with him today, so you came home to pester me instead?"

"Wha—you!" Naruto's nose wrinkled with disgust. "Shukaku's like my little _brother_, you idiot! Not only have I _never_ been interested in him that way, he's never been interested in me, either! Why would you even think that?"

Sasuke scowled, folding his arms over his chest and ignoring the little bead of happiness at the news that Gaara wasn't actually competition. "Why wouldn't I? After all, I'm just your _pain in the ass master_."

Naruto let out a small roar of frustration, grabbing Sasuke's shoulders and shaking them. "And you're trying to say that you're _not_ a pain in the ass? Just look at this conversation!" He rattled Sasuke again, bringing the brunet's anger from simmer to boil in a heartbeat. "Gods, you are the most _frustrating person on the planet_ to care about!"

Sasuke viciously slapped Naruto's hands off his shoulders, leaned in, and yelled right into the demon's face.

"And you're the most frustrating person on the planet to be attracted to!"

Silence.

Naruto stared at him from a breath away, his slitted blue eyes huge. While Sasuke considered killing himself, Naruto choked out, "What?"

Cheeks burning with humiliation, Sasuke furiously averted his eyes. "Nothing. Just forget—"

A pair of hands roughly grabbed either side of his face and yanked him forward. Before Sasuke could muster up a protest, a pair of warm lips crashed over his own. He inhaled sharply, frozen in shock as Naruto crowded up against him and pressed him back into the wall, lips moving frantically against Sasuke's. The brunet's hands jerked up to clutch at the other man's arms.

_Kissing me! He's… Naruto is…! _At that point, Sasuke's brain stopped trying to process and shut down. With a pained groan, he tightened his grip on Naruto's arms and pulled him in closer, awkwardly pressed his lips back against the demon's. At his reciprocation, some of the desperation seemed to leave the other man, and clawed fingers sank into his hair as the mouth above his opened. Sasuke flinched when he felt Naruto's tongue dive right past his closed lips and tangle with his own, but the demon never slackened his onslaught. Naruto made a muffled noise, freeing one hand from Sasuke's hair to wrap it around Sasuke's hip and tug him closer.

Sasuke's heart was hammering against his chest. Just as he'd feared, Naruto's body felt amazing against his own, warm and hard and powerful. He briefly tried to pull himself back, to throw up his walls as always, but some damnable voice in the back of his head insisted that he'd had _enough_ of denying himself. This was happening, for better or for worse, and he was damn well going to enjoy it. With that thought in mind, Sasuke slid one hand up Naruto's arm and shoulder, eventually fisting it roughly in the blond's hair. He sucked firmly on Naruto's tongue, eliciting a powerful groan from the demon that sent a jolt of lust straight through him. That hand on Sasuke's hip slid up under his shirt and wrapped firmly around his back, sending tiny swirls of hot chakra down his spine. Sasuke gasped, arching involuntarily.

Naruto whimpered in response, pressing himself against Sasuke chest to knee and sliding a firm thigh between the brunet's legs. Sasuke shuddered at the sudden pressure against his erection and instinctively pressed himself against it. Strangely, the hardness jammed against his hip didn't disturb him as much as he would have thought. In an odd way, it actually felt good. When Naruto's thigh moved against him, he hissed into the other man's mouth. _Fuck_, it felt good.

They traded more feverish kisses, tongues sliding together even when their lips occasionally parted to change the angle of attack. Naruto's hips began to rock against him, pushing him repeatedly against the wall while sending delightful waves of friction across his groin. Sasuke groaned loudly, then withdrew his tongue from Naruto's mouth and bit down sharply on the man's lip before he could follow. The demon's entire body _shuddered_, and he slammed their hips together with a powerful thrust. With a growl, Naruto tore his mouth away from Sasuke's and left a trail of fiery kisses down the brunet's throat. Sasuke threw his head back, gasping for air.

It all felt so good, so _fucking_ good. He couldn't imagine why he hadn't given in before—

Reality crashed down on him, and he groaned heavily as he forced his arms to push at the other man.

"Naruto," he croaked. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Wait."

Naruto immediately began shaking his head, bringing his hands up to cup Sasuke's face. He kept his blue eyes shut, peppering Sasuke's mouth with tiny kisses. "Nononononono, don't do this, no, not again, don't do this to me again…"

Sasuke resisted the urge to just fall back into those kisses, instead forcing out, "Don't do what?"

Naruto gave him one last, firm, closed-mouth kiss before sighing like the world was ending and pulling his lips away. He rested his forehead against Sasuke's, grinding them together gently.

Wearily, the demon rasped, "Come to your senses."

The defeat in the other man's tone sent a sliver of guilt through him, but Sasuke held firm.

"Naruto, it's not that…" _It's not that I don't want you, gods help me._ He shook his head. "I can't just give in to this when I'm just a convenient outlet for you. I don't—If this ends badly—" He huffed a frustrated sigh. "I don't want to just be some fuck until you find better. I can't…put my life on hold for that little."

Naruto actually pulled his head away a little and stared at him. "What are you talking about? You are the least convenient 'outlet' I could have possibly found." When Sasuke simply glowered at him, Naruto shook his head and pulled away completely. "Sasuke, look. You still seem to just…not get it. I'm not here because you're a sexy bastard, although you are. I've thought you were physically attractive since the day I _met_ you. Doesn't it strike you as odd that I'm only really acting on this _now_? The fact that we're stuck together all the time is actually another point _against_ this, not a point in favor. What about the next time we fight? What about the million ways we drive each other crazy? I'll have you know that I considered _all_ of that, and despite it and who you are, I still…"

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair and awkwardly pacing away. "I still want you. All damn day, when I should've been thrilled to be out from under your thumb for a while, all I could do was think 'Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke.' I couldn't stop thinking about the things you might say, or what you might think of the stuff I found at the bazaar." He grimaced. "I even waxed poetic about your smile to Shukaku."

Sasuke straightened from the wall, staring at him. "My _smile?_"

"Pathetic, right? It's just…" He tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. "My whole life, or at least as much of it as I can remember, everyone's always looked at me as what I am. For the first thousand years, it was as the powerful Kyuubi. Even Shukaku sees me as his commander first. And then for the next thousand years, everyone saw me as a slave. A _thing_ not worthy of their real attention or respect. But then _you_ came along.

"And you're so fucking clueless, you know that? Because you're so strong, and so damn _arrogant_, but you get so insecure sometimes that I just want to… And it's like you don't give a damn who I am or what I'm supposed to be to you. You've always treated me like a person, full stop. And I don't think of you as a human, nor do I think of you as my master."

Sasuke was having trouble processing the wealth of information coming his way. He took a hesitant step forward. "Then what do you think of me as?" he questioned quietly.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing his hand over his eyes. The blond squared his shoulders and looked Sasuke in the eye.

"I think of you as my equal."

The Uchiha heir froze. His equal? To the most powerful demon on earth? Naruto's eyes started to waver at Sasuke's prolonged silence, a flush rising in his whiskered cheeks at his lengthy confession. Before Sasuke was aware of making a conscious decision, he found himself crossing the scant distance between them, burying his hands in Naruto's hair, and pulling his head forward into a firm kiss. When the demon's hands tentatively settled upon Sasuke's hips, the Uchiha heir pulled back and gave him a half-hearted glare.

"Then you should have fucking _told_ me so, usuratonkachi."

He dove in for another kiss, steadfastly ignoring the fact that the lips beneath his broke into a grin. Naruto wrapped his arms firmly around him and kissed him back for a long, passionate moment. The blond suddenly snorted and pulled his lips away.

"Like you've ever been honest about _your_ feelings," he teased, swooping in for a quick kiss. "I spent half the day wondering if you were actually retarded because you weren't at all aware of my awesomeness."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Naruto, I assure you, you're suitably impressive for a super-powerful goofball. Can we move on from the touchy-feely business now?"

Naruto laughed. "How romantic." He traced Sasuke's parted lips with the tip of his tongue, extracting a shuddery sigh. "I do have one last thing to admit, though."

Sasuke scowled, tugging on the other man's broad shoulders until they were pressed flush against each other again. In an effort to distract the demon, he leaned up to nibble on Naruto's ear before muttering, "What?"

Naruto shivered, his arms tightening around Sasuke. With a low chuckle, he mimicked the brunet, pressed his mouth against his ear, and breathed, "I'm hungry."

Incensed, Sasuke pulled his head back and glared at him. Fisting one hand in thick blond locks, he pinned Naruto with his Sharingan.

"_Later_." With that, he yanked the demon into another firm kiss. Irrepressible, Naruto laughed into his mouth, but thankfully—for his own sake—he soon got down to the business of kissing Sasuke properly.

Their rumbling stomachs were quickly forgotten.

* * *

**ETA 4/13:** I've been working on the new chapter. Expect it in a few more days.


	19. Relations

**Author's note:** Last semester kicked. My. Ass. Not a week went by that I didn't have some extra project or trip (or both) to worry about on top of coursework and my thesis research project. Did I want to write? Yes. Did I have time? Not one bit. GOD. As for the quake, thankfully I was still home at the time on spring break. My campus, my roommate, and all of my friends, classmates, and their families are okay. We're all far enough away from the plant that radiation isn't a problem, either, so I'll be heading back to Japan on April 25th (the semester was delayed by a month). I hope they'll be able to fix all the damage sooner rather than later, and I'm glad so many countries are pitching in to help.

At any rate, I shortened this chapter because those 40+ pagers were exhausting me. With any luck, I can crank out these shorter ones way more often, and I can squeeze them into the free time I'll have this coming semester much better than the heavier-duty ones. I'm already itching to continue this where I left off, so that's a good sign. Sorry for the delay, guys. I never stopped thinking about you.

Mini recap: Sasuke and Naruto split ways yesterday. Naruto spent his time with Gaara, but he ended up wasting the entire day talking about Sasuke. Sasuke went out to fight a bad guy gone crazy with power, and he managed to tap into earth chakra. When he got home, he and Naruto had a confrontation that resulted in the two of them realizing that they had certain desires in common. ^_~

Chapter warning: Explicit fanservice. Up on a trial basis. You've been warned!

Enjoy.

* * *

Naruto watched the first beams of sunlight slip over the windowsill, and the smile that hadn't left his lips all night widened in turn. He stretched happily, folding his left arm under his head. Of their own accord, the knuckles of his right hand began to stroke the impossibly smooth skin of Sasuke's back. The younger man, sprawled along Naruto's side with his head pillowed on the demon's chest, twitched, but he didn't wake. Naruto's grin widened.

_I am the luckiest unlucky son of a bitch in the world_, he mused triumphantly. Even though he'd more or less come to terms with his unexpected feelings for Sasuke, he never would've imagined that coming clean with them would spark the reaction it did. Who knew that Sasuke had a kink for being respected?

The young man in question frowned against Naruto's chest and murmured something incoherent against his skin. Naruto rubbed his back soothingly until Sasuke settled. As the sunlight painted both gold and shadows over Sasuke's skin, Naruto found his grin softening into something that was most likely embarrassingly sappy, but he decided that so long as Sasuke himself never saw it, he wouldn't have to put himself out of his own misery. Besides, it wasn't his fault that he was so happy. Who wouldn't be with a creature as gorgeous as Sasuke sprawled all over him after a dry spell that had lasted for a thousand years? With his smile upgrading back to a grin, Naruto let out a small chuckle.

_Man, it's clearly been too long. I'd forgotten how good it felt to get a little action._ He closed his eyes at the warmth coursing through him. _It feels better than good, actually._ When his extremities began to tingle, Naruto frowned and pulled his hand out from under his head to glance at it. His chakra immediately surged, forming sparks directly above his fingertips. The demon's eyebrows nearly flew into his hairline.

"Well, _that's_ new…" he muttered under his breath. With a snap of his fingers, the sparks turned into a small ball of flame that danced in the air. Naruto stared at it in amazement.

_I've managed to power up without draining anything? _Effortlessly, he made the flame stretch and shrink, then molded it into a tiny replica of Sasuke. The fire version crossed its arms and visibly glowered at him. Naruto grinned. _I haven't had this much control over my power since…_

His smile faded, and he slowly lowered his eyes to the young man in his arms. Unconsciously, he dispelled the flame as he stared at Sasuke in wonder.

_I haven't had this much access to my power since I was enslaved. I've never had a bond this deep with a master. Ever. _Naruto moved his left hand, gently carding his fingers through Sasuke's black hair. _I must mean something to him, too. Grumpy bastard that he is, though, I doubt he'll admit it._

Shaking his head fondly, Naruto ruffled Sasuke's hair and received a sleepy swat. The Uchiha heir grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his face into Naruto's chest. Naruto chuckled, but his mirth didn't last for long. As happy as the thought that he wasn't alone in this horrible infatuation made him, he was still going to have to face the truth. If he held this much power in his hands, if his bond with Sasuke was deep enough to allow him this much access, there was no way that he could be freed without Sasuke being forced to give up something astronomical.

"_**For each bond broken, a sacrifice of equal worth shall be required."**_

Rage rose up within him at those smug, remembered words, forcing Naruto to clench his fists as sparks began to rise from his fingertips. He could still see that arrogant bastard towering over him and his defeated comrades, and he could still feel the mud and blood beneath his hands and knees as he was forced to hear the ludicrous, humiliating rules that were passed down upon them. The moon god had known that with human nature, there would be no chance that any mortal's selflessness could reach that kind of height. The more they cared, the more they might have to give up. Would it be their homes? Their health? Their children? Their lives? It was impossible.

No master would ever love him that much.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and tried vainly not to focus on the sensation of Sasuke's breath skating across his skin._ If I'd known that being physical with my master would make our bond this deep…_ He winced. _I __**have**__ to be freed. I can't leave Shukaku and the others to this fate. But for Sasuke to do it, what will he have to sacrifice? What will happen if he __**can't**__ free me, assuming he's even thinking about it?_

Sighing, he opened his eyes and gazed wistfully down at his companion. _He's my last chance. Even if he does manage to have children, I can't handle being handed down another series of generations, just waiting for someone to come along who kind of likes me, but not enough to be asked to give up anything more than a quality rug. And if he doesn't have kids, I'll get stuck back in that box for good._ He grimaced. _And I can't even fucking __**talk**__ to him about it._

The fox demon spent the next several minutes staring at the ceiling. After a while, he took a deep breath and carefully released it.

_I'll just have to try to have a little faith in him_, he eventually decided, glancing down uneasily. _Sasuke's proven capable of pulling solutions out of his ass._ After a moment's thought, Naruto found himself beginning to smirk. _And so have I._

The rising sun managed to splash light directly into his eyes for a split second. Blinking away the sudden sting, Naruto inexplicably felt his hopes rising. Maybe, just maybe, he had himself a winning team here. Sasuke was smart, Naruto prided himself on being devious, and Shukaku was the best damn tactician he'd ever known. They'd figure something out.

As his worries eased, his stomach decided to loudly make its emptiness known. Grinning, Naruto gingerly slid out from under Sasuke by lifting him up a few centimeters and slipping a pillow into the empty slot. The Uchiha heir scowled immediately, but Naruto hurriedly infused the pillow with his chakra. As the familiar heat reached Sasuke's skin, the younger man let out a quiet grumble and settled down again. Crouched on his knees above the sleeping man, Naruto had to fight the sudden and intense urge to flop on top of Sasuke and get to work continuing the sexy times they'd started last night. Another petulant growl from his stomach, however, made him sigh and promise his libido that he'd follow up on it later.

The demon fox carefully slid off the bed, then wiggled his fingers gleefully. His chakra was nearly spitting out of him, eager to be used for the first time in centuries. He chuckled.

"First order of business," he declared to himself. "Let's see what we can do about breakfast."

* * *

The smell of cooking meat wafted into Sasuke's nose, causing the man to groan heavily. He buried his face in his pillow, curling around it petulantly. After the day he'd had yesterday, it couldn't possibly be morning already, could it? He felt like he'd only gotten an hour's worth of sleep, for fuck's sake. His body hurt everywhere, his eyelids felt like they were glued together, and he felt grimy. The bed dipped beside him, and the smell of meat got significantly stronger.

"Saaaasukeeee. Soup's on, sleeping beauty," Naruto's voice crooned from above. Sasuke scowled.

"Fuck. Off."

"Oh, come on, don't talk that way. It's a beautiful morning, birds are singing, and I'm sitting here ready and willing to serve you breakfast in bed. You wouldn't want to treat the man who handled you so…_gently_ last night with nasty remarks, would you?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open. Instantly indignant, he released the pillow he'd been curled around and rolled onto his back, rising up onto his elbows to glare at the chipper demon. Heat immediately suffused his face at the sight of the mostly naked man, memories assaulting him ruthlessly: hands stroking and caressing, lips and tongues travelling over skin, and demonic chakra—so thick that it felt like a dozen hands—slipping into places he _never_ considered that it could go. Scowling at his rising embarrassment and the far-too-smug grin on those whiskered cheeks, Sasuke fingered the edge of his boxers in a reminder that they were still there.

"Don't you dare start treating me like some delicate maiden, usuratonkachi," he intoned darkly. "I can and will kick your ass for it."

Naruto chuckled, lifting a piece of some dark meat from a wide, golden platter that rested upon his lap. Sizzling meats of at least five varieties, heaps of fruit, and four small cups full of what seemed to be dipping sauces graced the extravagant plate. While Sasuke frowned at the arrangement, Naruto brought the meat to the younger man's lips.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Sasuke. Now say, 'aaaah'…"

Eyes narrowed dangerously, Sasuke opened his mouth to tell the other man off, but the incorrigible bastard took the opportunity to slip the meat into Sasuke's mouth. When the sweet and savory flavor of duck splashed onto the Uchiha heir's tongue, the younger man glowered and chewed petulantly.

Naruto's grin widened. "Is it good? It's good, isn't it?" he asked happily, reaching for another piece. Sasuke frowned at him.

"You are way too fucking chipper for a man who didn't actually have sex last night," he grumbled. Swatting Naruto's hand away from his mouth, he plucked the next piece of meat from the demon's fingers and bit into it. This one was less sweet, but no less tasty. Rabbit?

"Didn't we?" Naruto returned innocently, selecting a morsel for himself and dipping it in sauce. "I remember a lot of interesting shenanigans that we got up to last night."

_So do I_. Cheeks flaming, Sasuke pointed firmly at his boxers. "I'm not naked. Neither are you." He paused, eyeing the platter distrustfully. "Or at least, you weren't. Therefore, we didn't have sex."

Naruto sent him a distinctly worrying smile and winked. "Well, we have the whole day off. I'm sure we can resolve this issue to our mutual satisfaction."

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "Naruto, damn it…"

"You know, I was wondering," the blond soldiered on. "This whole thing is kind of new to you. You're not…"

When the demon hesitated, Sasuke warily raised his eyes, but Naruto was staring at the food in his lap. Grudgingly, Sasuke replied, "I'm not what?"

One tanned shoulder awkwardly lifted in a shrug. "You're not regretting it, are you? Getting together with me, I mean."

Sasuke paused. Even though he hadn't allowed them to progress to actual penetrative sex the night before, it didn't make the things that they _had_ done any less homosexual. He'd allowed Naruto to touch him and kiss him all over, he'd taken the chance to explore the other man's body the way he couldn't admit that he'd been dying to, and they'd both—his cheeks burned—made messes that were the direct cause of his current discomfort. But even though he'd desperately wanted to hate the experience, he couldn't help but enjoy it. He'd loved being touched by Naruto, even though he'd never allowed anyone else that kind of leeway—and that was a fact that he still hadn't and hoped never to reveal to the other man—and he'd never been as turned on as he was when Naruto fell apart under his own ministrations, cursing at Sasuke and growling with arousal. The entire experience had been…extraordinary.

Sasuke glowered grumpily, then firmed his lips decisively. _Fuck it. I'm not gay. I'm just gay for __**him**__. _Although a large part of his ego hissed angrily at the thought of accepting that word in any sense, Sasuke defiantly tipped his chin up.

"No, I don't regret it." When Naruto's eyes shot up to meet his gaze, Sasuke averted his own. "And I don't intend to start."

Even without looking, he could _feel_ Naruto's smile beaming at him.

"Great!" Without warning, the blond scooped a hand behind Sasuke's head and pulled him into an abrupt kiss. Shocked, Sasuke held still until Naruto pulled away. The demon nipped at his lips, and then continued in a low voice, "Because I don't intend to let you go."

Those words sent a shiver down Sasuke's spine that he fervently ignored. Clearing his throat, he nodded at the plate and changed the subject.

"So where did the food come from, anyway? This doesn't look like the standard fare for visitors."

Naruto eyed him knowingly, but he obligingly answered the question. "Ah, no, it isn't. I made it."

Sasuke frowned. There were dead animals and fruits on this plate that weren't even native to the Wind Country.

"What the hell do you mean, 'you made it'? How?"

Naruto chuckled weakly, lifting one hand to rub at the back of his neck. "Well, I just kind of thought of what I wanted to eat, and I pulled it all here and cooked it."

Sasuke's eyes snapped away from the food to stare at the demon. Naruto "pulled" it all here? He managed to snatch animals from the Fire Country and fruits from the tropics without even breaking a sweat? Since when was he that powerful?

As if reading his mind, Naruto's smile took on a hint of smugness. "It seems that our, ah, _activities_ last night gave me a little extra juice this morning. I had to do _something_ with it, so I…made breakfast."

"Right," Sasuke intoned dryly. "Because anyone, when faced with extra power, would use it to satisfy his belly."

The demon stuck out his tongue. "Well, _somebody_ wasn't willing to let me go get dinner last night, so I was hungry." Naruto grinned. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

Sasuke scowled and picked up a mango and a sharp knife. While peeling it with efficient strokes, he glared at Naruto.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't tease me about being enthusiastic. Don't fucking expect it to happen often." At the dismay that immediately crossed Naruto's face, Sasuke gave him a smirk and bit into the mango. Juice began to dribble down his chin, but a quick swipe of his tongue took care of it. Blue eyes zeroed in on his lips, causing Sasuke's smirk to grow. He took another slow, deliberate bite, this time ignoring the juice that escaped his lips. When Naruto's pupils contracted into slits in response, Sasuke let out a low chuckle and swallowed. "After all, _I'm_ not the one with the legendary libido. I could probably hold out _forev—_"

In the blink of an eye, the platter disappeared and Sasuke found himself flat on his back on the bed with a demon crawling over him. Before he could protest, Naruto's lips found his, and he felt clawed fingertips sinking into his hair. Sasuke's hand involuntarily clenched around the mango, crushing it. Exhaling, he lifted his free hand and trailed it along Naruto's side as he opened into the kiss. Naruto's tongue eagerly surged into his mouth to tangle with his own, and the demon's weight settled over him. Sasuke dropped the ruined mango over the side of the bed and placed the sticky hand on Naruto's back, raising one knee to give himself enough leverage to press upwards. Naruto shivered against him, and demonic chakra rose up to skate over Sasuke's sides and wrap around his legs. Aches and pains forgotten, Sasuke couldn't contain the small moan that escaped into the demon's mouth.

Fuck, it was moments like this that made him so fucking glad he gave in. Between Naruto's roving hands and chakra, he felt like he was being caressed everywhere. Digging his fingers into the demon's back, Sasuke thrust upwards and ground his erection against Naruto's. Panting, Naruto pulled back just enough to murmur against Sasuke's lips.

"No more teasing about enthusiasm, no more, I promise." He gave him another hard kiss, hooking a hand underneath Sasuke's raised knee to pull them closer together. "_Fuck_, you're so hot…"

Sasuke groaned. He managed to maneuver his other leg to the outside of Naruto's, cradling the man's hips within his own. Locking his arms tight around the blond's chest, he thrust upward rhythmically. The Uchiha heir tore his lips away from Naruto's in favor of panting into his shoulder; the demon took advantage by trailing his tongue up the right side of Sasuke's neck and biting down at the base of his jaw. Grunting, Sasuke slammed his eyes shut and bit his lip. He was already so fucking close…

"Sasuke, Sasuke, _fuck_ yes…" Naruto kept up a steady litany of curses, interspersing them with bites and kisses. "So fucking gorgeous. So fucking lucky."

Sasuke had no intention of replying, focused as he was on the sensations washing over him. Without warning, a tendril of chakra snaked up between their bodies and wrapped around his erection, tightening and squeezing in a series of rapid pulses. The shock was too much—Sasuke threw his head back and choked out a cry as he came. His chest slammed into Naruto's as he involuntarily arched his back, knocking the wind out of himself. As he gasped for air, he felt Naruto's thrusts speed up and heard the demon growl something in a guttural language. Teeth bit down hard on his neck, most likely drawing blood. Sasuke groaned with what little air he'd managed to pull into his lungs.

Naruto let out a low whine, his hips stuttering. "_Sas—_" was all he managed before his entire body shuddered. He stilled, chakra retreating from Sasuke's skin, and panted into the younger man's ear. Sasuke let his head sink down into the pillow and breathed heavily, wordlessly grateful that the demon hadn't rested all of his weight upon him. As he caught his breath, he relaxed his grip on the man's back and slowly trailed his fingers down Naruto's spine. The demon huffed a short laugh, then turned his face to brush his nose against Sasuke's cheek.

"Don't do that unless you want to get me going again," he warned in a deep voice, his smile pressing briefly into Sasuke's skin.

The younger man snorted ruefully. "You would, too. As if it isn't bad enough that you made me come twice last night before you bothered to let yourself go." He shifted his head just enough to give Naruto a half-hearted glare. "You do know how to cripple a guy's ego."

Naruto laughed, pushing himself up from the bed. His hand darted forward and gave Sasuke's spent dick a quick squeeze, eliciting a gasp from the brunet.

"Trust me, Sasuke, your _ego_ doesn't have anything to worry about. When you have more than a thousand years of experience, you'll be a stamina king, too."

Sasuke slapped the man's hand away and rolled his eyes. "Right. Because that's likely to happen." He shifted, then grimaced at the stickiness in his boxers. "Dammit. Now I really need a bath." When Naruto's eyes lit up, Sasuke scowled. "_Not_ that kind of bath."

He finally sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and stretching. Naruto watched him with a smile.

"But Sasuke-kun, don't you want me to wash your back for you?" he crooned, moving closer. Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's face and pushed it away.

"_No_. I want to get clean, and I know you're not going to behave yourself."

"I can behave myself!"

"You _can_, but you _won't._" Sasuke glared at him, watching the demon open his mouth to protest, fail to come up with anything, and settle for a lecherous grin. The brunet rolled his eyes. "I knew it. Besides, the baths are public, and we're supposed to be cousins. We can't get caught fooling around."

Naruto snorted and waved a hand dismissively. "I can make sure that nobody sees us. We could have sex in the Kazekage's office without anybody noticing."

Sasuke pointed a stern finger at him. "I said no. You've gotten all you're going to get from me this morning. Now be good, bring your breakfast back from the edge of beyond, and eat while I go wash up."

"But Sasukeeee!" he whined. At Sasuke's uncompromising glower, Naruto gave in and frowned. "Fine, but you can't go out there looking like that."

With a snap of the man's fingers, Sasuke's boxers disappeared and were replaced with a clean, black yukata. Crisp, white bandages appeared on his hands as well. Sasuke stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Good thinking," he acknowledged. Since his hands were supposed to be injured from yesterday, it wouldn't do for word to get out that he was fine. Flexing his palms confirmed that, although painless, his skin underneath felt rough and torn. He gave Naruto a sharp nod. "Stay here. I don't want any more complaints about you being hungry."

The demon rolled his eyes. "All right, all right, I get it. I'll eat. Go get wet and naked and soapy without me, see if I care."

With a slow, predatory grin, Sasuke ran his eyes down Naruto's body, lingering pointedly at the tented boxers. "Clearly you do."

Before Naruto could reply, Sasuke quickly opened the door and slipped out into the hallway. As the door closed, Naruto's disgruntled voice followed him.

"Son of a _bitch_."

Smug in his triumph, Sasuke made his way towards the baths.

* * *

Kakashi hunkered down on a thick branch, separating himself from the Anbu who accompanied him as they all broke into their rations. The other men and women didn't seem to be particularly concerned with him, probably because they weren't aware of what their mission could, in fact, be about. He frowned and placed a hand on a pouch on his right hip, where he'd deposited a small package that Tsunade had delivered to him by crow overnight. While the Anbu's attention was elsewhere, he slipped around the tree, threw up an extremely mild cloaking jutsu, and pulled out the unopened package. When he peeled open the nondescript brown paper, he caught a glint of gold underneath. His eyebrows rose.

What on earth could the Hokage have sent him? An heirloom? How would _that_ help subdue Naruto? His eyes narrowed. She couldn't have been serious about thinking that Naruto might actually be the legendary Kyuubi no Kitsune, could she?

The possible implications of that had weighed on him ever since that briefing session. He'd seen the tiny fox that Sasuke kept around and the incredible power that the little animal seemed to carry, and he'd met the young man with his irrepressible energy and enthusiasm. Both managed to get reactions out of the typically stoic Sasuke with minimal effort, and Kakashi hadn't so much as seen a real expression on the young man's face since he'd returned from Sound. To be honest, little Kyuubi and Naruto had raised Kakashi's hopes that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke wouldn't go down the same dark path that had consumed Orochimaru so many years ago. Could the kid and the fox really not only be the same person, but a dangerous creature on top of that?

Frowning, Kakashi pulled the ornate box out of its wrapping and gazed at it with his Sharingan. The path that Tsunade's chakra had taken around the box was instantly illuminated for him. He paused for a moment, then checked over his shoulder to make sure that the Anbu still weren't watching him. They were actually paying even less attention to him than normal. Kakashi grinned.

_Having a reputation as a pervert comes in handy when you want some privacy._

Confident now that he wouldn't be interrupted, he followed Tsunade's method with his own chakra, felt a click, and pried open the box. He nearly dropped the box in surprise at the small white orb inside, pulsing rapidly with strange, powerful chakra. Kakashi slammed the box shut before too much chakra escaped, hurriedly rewrapped it, and shoved it back in his pouch. He smiled as he turned to face the Anbu, who were all staring at him now, and crinkled his one visible eye in mirth.

"Whoops. Got a little carried away there. Never mind me."

Even with their masks temporarily removed to eat, Anbu typically had blank expressions. Somehow, they still managed to clearly convey their open, wordless disgust. When they turned away from him once more, including the two or three who were eyeing him suspiciously, he stopped smiling.

If that little orb was what he thought it was, and if it had come from the Uchiha household as the note from the Hokage had suggested, then that was some awfully damning evidence. Dammit all. Did Sasuke _know_ that he was travelling with a demon fox that was awfully close to matching the description of the most terrifying creature that ever lived? And if he did, was it willingly, or was he being bewitched? Kakashi sighed heavily. If Naruto really was a fox, he could have bewitched everyone with relative ease. In fact, considering how suddenly Tsunade had changed her mind about him, he probably already _had._ She was notoriously strong-willed, and any sort of influence over her would have to be incredibly powerful to make her trust someone she shouldn't. If he could ensnare _her_, what chance did Sasuke have with the demon constantly around him?

Sighing, he fingered the small pouch with Iruka's hair inside that dangled from his neck. If they had any luck at all, Naruto's nature as a fox, with their fear of dogs and dishonor, would override his extreme power and give them some manner of advantage. It might not be much, but if they could just get him to listen, maybe they could get him to return to Konoha without too much fuss.

_Not to mention_, he mused, patting the box at his side, _we now have one of his most precious possessions. He'll most likely either listen—_he winced—_or kill us._

He sighed, staring into the west, where Sand was waiting for them.

_And hopefully, he doesn't yet know we're coming._

* * *

Naruto nearly choked to death on a piece of goose as a piece of his own chakra flared up in the Fire Country. Eyes wide and watering, he forced the piece down and stared out the window.

_Fucking fuck of the fucking century. That WASN'T a nightmare the other night!_ Groaning, Naruto tossed the platter aside and put his head in his hands. _Someone really did break into my shrine, and they really did take something. I __**knew**__ I should have shored up its defenses before we left, but dammit, I didn't think anyone would be dumb enough to actually try!_

He ground the heels of his hands into his eyes. "I don't even know what they _took_. Fucking hell."

Someone in the Fire Country knew who and what he was. And now he had to tell Sasuke that it was his fault.

Naruto sighed, hanging his head.

_And today started off so well, too._

* * *

Gaara's folded legs were unpleasantly wet, his pants soaking in the water pooled upon the floor of the private baths. He frowned minutely at the discomfort and shifted. Temari, who was soaking in a sunken pool next to him, glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked quietly, fingering the folded towel that she'd placed on her head. "You could always just wait outside."

Gaara's frown grew. "I am fine. I cannot leave your side for an extended period of time." _As you are well aware._

Temari sighed. "I don't take _that_ long in the bath, do I?"

"Long enough," he replied succinctly. It was the simple truth; they were not close enough for him to be separated from her for more than a half hour or so. At the silence that followed, though, he grudgingly qualified, "It would be impossible for you to both wash and allow your muscles vital time to soak and recover from your training in the time I would have available to me."

"But you could have said something," she replied. Her eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. "You haven't actually complained about anything in the time that we've been together."

"I saw no need to do so." Kyuubi-sama was the one who liked to complain. Gaara preferred to observe and endure.

"Oh." She turned towards him, resting an arm on the side of the bath. Her eyes took on an odd, soft light as she stared at him. Gaara stared back. Temari continued, "If you ever need something, though, will you ask me?"

He tried to imagine asking her for anything and failed. "No."

Temari sighed again, then reached towards him. Mildly shocked, Gaara followed her hand with his gaze, but she hesitated before actually touching him. Her hand hovered indecisively in midair only a few centimeters from his sodden knee. She bit her lip, then retracted her hand and gave him a small smile.

"Well, I appreciate your consideration."

He didn't reply, watching her steadily. What did she want him to say? He didn't have much choice in the matter, and his minor discomfort wasn't much of a sacrifice for her general well-being. Her eyes dropped to his soggy clothes, then moved back up to his face.

"You could always just bathe _with_ me." Her cheeks turned faintly pink, and she hurriedly waved a hand. "Not that I think you smell or anything."

The tanuki demon weathered a faint tickle of amusement, but he was certain that it didn't show on his face. "I am perfectly capable of keeping myself clean." In retrospect, wasn't it odd for a female to ask a man to join her? He raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised that you even suggested that."

The blonde pursed her lips, turning her body into the wall of the bath, folding her arms, and resting her chin upon them. "Well, why not? It's more than obvious that you're not sexually interested in me, and we're masquerading as siblings. I wouldn't be offended, and at least you wouldn't have to wait around on a wet floor."

_Interested in her?_ Gaara's face immediately crumpled into a moue of distaste. "As I said before, I am fine," he replied stiffly.

To his surprise, she chuckled. "Okay, it was just a suggestion. But…if you don't mind my asking…"

When she trailed off, Gaara smothered a sigh. He could simply ignore her as he'd done in the past, but…to be truthful, he preferred the slightly friendlier environment that had developed between them. In light of that, he nodded his head shortly. Temari leaned forward.

"What kind of person would you be interested in? If a pretty little red-haired demon came up to you, would you go for her?"

He stared at her incredulously. What on earth prompted her to ask something like that? His lips twisted into a frown.

"No, most likely not," he replied irritably.

Temari bit her lip. "I feel odd asking this, but have you ever been interested in anyone at all?"

_Sexually? Romantically?_ His nose wrinkled. "No."

"Never?" She seemed flummoxed. "How old are you?"

His patience rapidly wearing thin, Gaara snapped, "Is there a reason for all these questions?"

Temari flinched and pulled her arms back into the water. She averted her eyes. "I was just… I don't know anything about you. I don't know if you have any family, what your dreams were before, you know, all this." After a quick swallow, she raised her eyes once more. "I want to know who you are."

_Why? What difference does it make?_ The tanuki demon's frown deepened. No one aside from Kyuubi-sama had ever taken an interest in his personal life. Why on earth was this human female prying into his affairs? Her inquisitive eyes confused him.

"_We're masquerading as siblings."_

He blinked. Was that why she was trying to grow closer to him? To better fuel their pretense in front of strangers? If so, her reasoning wasn't entirely flawed, but it was certainly flimsy.

Grimacing, he succinctly replied, "I was two hundred years old at the time of my enslavement, which would place me at the human equivalent of twenty. I have never been, nor do I ever care to be, romantically or physically interested in anyone. I have no family." Being the only pup in his litter and having his parents abandon him the moment he learned to crawl tended to prevent close familial bonds. In his entire life, the only person he'd ever been close to was Kyuubi-sama, and he liked it that way. With that in mind, he rose to his feet. "I believe we should leave, Temari-sama."

"Um, sure. Right." Plucking her towel off her head, she swiftly rose from the bath and wrapped it around her. Once again, she reached for him, but she stopped short of touching his shoulder. "Thank you, Gaara."

The demon chose not to reply, and after a moment's hesitation, the girl preceded him out of the baths into the changing room reserved for the Kazekage and his family. As she changed, Gaara sunk into his own thoughts.

.~.

He'd spent his entire childhood alone. On the rare occasions that he did come across other children his age, whether they were demonic or human, they always quailed before him and ran. He was told that he was "creepy," or "scary," or "dangerous." He played too rough, and his chakra kept growing exponentially, frightening everyone away. Eventually, he'd stopped trying to form any connections to other people, and since they'd never had any desire to get to know him, either, he'd spent decades upon decades by himself. It was a lonely existence, but at least it was quiet.

And then, one day, he'd discovered sake. Some fat old human had been lying in a heap on the ground, clutching a barrel of rice wine with one arm and sipping merrily from a small gourd in his free hand. In between sips, the man would belt out horribly off-key songs at the top of his lungs. Shukaku had been passing by and found his interest piqued: here was a man that was completely alone, and yet he seemed to be enjoying himself tremendously. He'd approached cautiously, expecting yet another firm rejection.

Instead of cowering in fear at his strange appearance and the powerful chakra radiating from him, the old man had simply looked up at him from his position on the ground, smiled, and held up his gourd. Curious, the tanuki demon had taken a drink from the gourd and nearly spat it out. When he glared at the old man, the human had waved a gnarled hand at him.

"Just keep drinking. It'll make all your problems go away, and it'll make you _strong_," the old man had insisted. Shukaku frowned, but he took the man's advice and kept drinking. "It's how I've lived so long, and I could take anybody in a fight, I tell you! I'm _respected_."

Respect. It was a new concept for the young demon, and something he found he suddenly wanted very much. Without a word, he'd settled next to the old man and continued drinking his wine. Seemingly content with a demon for company, the old man had leaned back and closed his eyes with a smile on his face.

It took until he'd finished the barrel of wine for Shukaku to realize that the man was dead.

He'd buried the old man with the empty barrel of wine that had made him so powerful, and he took his words to heart. In sake, there would clearly be no loneliness. He could be powerful, and strong, and everyone would respect him even if they feared him. In that moment, it'd made perfect sense, and in his mild intoxication, he'd stumbled off in search of more liquor. He raided a shrine or two, drank himself stupid, and challenged a demon to a fight. He won. He challenged another. He won again. He gained a reputation as a fearsome warrior practically overnight.

The old man had been right. Giddy with his success, Shukaku fashioned himself a stone gourd to contain all the sake he could get his hands on, and he filled the stuff with the essence of his growing power and confidence. From that moment forward, he hadn't spent a single day sober.

Until he met Kyuubi-sama.

The fox demon, tremendous and proud, had stormed into his country and demanded to fight the most powerful demon in the land. Once word reached Shukaku's ears, he'd rushed to confront the other demon and challenged him to a fight. The battle had raged for days, scouring the land and sending human and demon alike scurrying for shelter. When he finally lost, bruised and bloody and horribly, terribly clear-headed, Kyuubi-sama had leaned over him and smiled.

"That was a fantastic fight, but I would really rather fight you when you're sober." A clawed finger had flicked him in the ear. "For a demon of your caliber to be a drunk is simply a waste."

And with that, Kyuubi-sama had wandered off. Shukaku had wrestled with boundless rage. How dare this demon defeat him and mock his way of life? Because of the drink, he'd been successful. Respected. Strong. Furious, he'd peeled himself off the ground and stalked after the fox demon. He eventually found him perched upon a mountain, gazing up at the starlit sky. With one paw placed protectively upon his gourd, Shukaku had demanded to know why he should give up his sake when it had brought so much good into his life. Kyuubi-sama had gazed at him calmly.

"Because until you discover who you are without it, you will never know true strength or respect. The drink doesn't give you power, it takes it away." At Shukaku's disbelieving stare, Kyuubi added, "I just spent the last five days fighting you, and only once the liquor wore off did you show true ingenuity and cunning. You have greatness in you, I can tell." He smiled. "And I greatly look forward to meeting the real you."

The fox demon hadn't said another word that night. Shukaku, shocked speechless, remained by his side until dawn. The sun rose, hotter than ever before, but neither demon moved from their spot upon the mountain. Hours passed and the sun fell again, shrouding them in darkness. Thus passed Shukaku's first day of soberness in decades. And when it was over, and the stars had filled the sky once more, Kyuubi had turned to him with a smile.

"I have never spent a day watching the clouds with someone before. No one else has ever been that patient." He idly scratched at his neck. "Would you join me tomorrow, as well? I enjoyed your company."

It was the first time someone had told him that. Wordlessly, Shukaku had agreed. They spent the next several days together, wandering the scarred plains. Without his drink to spur him on, Shukaku rarely spoke, but Kyuubi didn't seem to mind and filled the silence himself when he felt the need. On the seventh day, Kyuubi had grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.

"I like you, Shukaku. You're a good companion." He turned away, glancing through his multitude of tails. "You're welcome to visit me in the Fire Country any time."

And with that, he left. After three days of indecision, Shukaku had sealed away his gourd and followed after his newfound friend. He never touched liquor again.

.~.

Gaara shook himself out of his musings as Temari walked past him, fully clothed. He followed her silently, thinking over her new interest in him. He severely doubted that any closeness between them could possibly match the impact that Kyuubi-sama's friendship had struck upon him. Kyuubi-sama was kind, and loving, and gracious, and _powerful_, and for a long time he'd viewed Shukaku as his favored companion. There had been lovers, including Hirai, whom Shukaku had secretly despised, but the tanuki demon liked to think that they paled before the importance that Kyuubi-sama had placed upon their friendship. After all, he'd left them behind, and in the end had chosen to spend his time with Shukaku. The demon whom nobody else had wanted, Kyuubi-sama considered a younger brother. A sibling. _Family._ If he had anyone in the world to call his own, it was Kyuubi-sama.

Temari pushed past the hanging curtains that marked the entrance to the baths and stepped into the hallway. She paused.

"Uchiha-san. Good morning."

Gaara stepped out beside her, prepared for his usual irritation at the sight of the young man that his misguided leader had professed so much admiration for. The moment he did, he was assaulted with Kyuubi-sama's scent. It was all over Uchiha, radiating from him like he'd taken a bath in it, and there was a mark on his neck. Black eyes met his own and glinted in triumph.

The world was enveloped in an instant, complete, and all-consuming scarlet haze.

* * *

Bone-weary exhaustion tugged at Itachi as he dragged himself through yet another large, open field. The clouds above him rumbled and opened up, pouring sheets of rain upon him. His feet came to a stop and he looked up into the rain. His eyes closed involuntarily. After days of travel with his encounter with Kyuubi still causing him pain whenever he moved, after being confronted with not one but two gods at once, and after finding out that the storm god's motives were, in fact, completely incomprehensible to him, Itachi felt like he'd been worn down to the nub. Eyes still shut, he carefully sat down and folded his legs beneath him in traditional _seiza_. He bowed his head and let the rainwater run off his hair to the ground.

He knew that the storm god had plans for him, and he knew that by stopping, he was delaying them. The god would probably be angry with him. A few days ago, that thought would have filled him with fear, but now, he couldn't drum up the energy to care. Why should he? What difference did it make? If the storm god put him out of his misery, at least he wouldn't have to help the bastard free that monster.

His teeth clenched. What on earth was the storm god thinking, anyway? Kyuubi no Kitsune had ruined his life. The monster plagued him every day of his life, taunting him, insisting that Itachi should fulfill his purpose and finish off himself and his brother. Why the hell would he want something like that freed? For the storm god's _amusement_?

The rain continued to fall, but after a sharp clap of thunder, the raindrops ceased hitting him. Itachi opened his eyes and glared at the ground, where a perfect three-meter circle of dry space had opened up. His back tensed.

"You could catch your death of cold sitting in the rain like that," Susanoo stated nonchalantly from behind the elder Uchiha brother. His shoes squeaked quietly in the wet grass as he circled Itachi to stand in front of him. "You could have at least gone for shelter."

"And you could have healed me after Kyuubi banished me to the far end of the Fire Country, but you didn't." As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Itachi slammed his lips shut.

Susanoo didn't reply for a shocked moment. "I don't normally interfere quite _that_ directly. I was under the impression that you'd suffered worse."

Itachi pressed his lips together. He'd been in more pain than this, certainly, but how could the god think that he was fine with being enveloped in fire and catapulted across the country? When the silence stretched, the storm god sighed.

"Itachi-kun, is there something you would like to say to me?"

Itachi might be frustrated and maladjusted, but he wasn't insane. There were worse fates than death. "No, my lord. I simply needed a moment's rest." He placed his hands on the wet ground and bowed. "Please forgive my outburst."

A bead of water ran down Itachi's face as he waited. He couldn't see the god's face, but he could imagine the calculating expression that must be there. Was Susanoo reconsidering his usefulness? Would he run off and choose a different champion for his cause?

A sharp _tsk_ nearly made him jump. "Well, that's a shame. For a moment there, I thought you were showing some spunk, but if you prefer to keep your comments to yourself, that's your prerogative." To Itachi's surprise, the god decided to sit down on the wet ground beside him. When he lifted his gaze, he found Susanoo smiling at him, one hand on his beard. "I promise you that I'm not as easy to offend as my brethren, Uchiha Itachi. You may speak your mind."

Itachi hesitated. Even if Susanoo meant what he said, he hadn't made any promises not to punish him if he _did_ manage to offend the storm god. He kept his expression as blank as possible, but his thoughts were turbulent. How could he continue to serve a god while loathing his end goal? How could he _stop_ serving a god without being severely and creatively punished? The monster himself had been dealt an eternity of slavery for offending a god.

Susanoo shook his head and reached into his sleeve, pulling out a slender bamboo pipe with a silver stem and bowl. He slipped it into his mouth and held a finger over the bowl. A tiny spark leapt from his fingertip to the tobacco inside, igniting it. After a few slow puffs, he leaned forward conspiratorially.

"If it is doubt that you are feeling, Itachi-kun, I can assure you that there is a very specific reason that I chose you to be my champion. Would you like to know what it is?" At the young man's cautious nod, Susanoo explained. "You have a very unique spirit, Uchiha Itachi. You have done something that I have never seen before. With the combined influence of you and your brother, I believe you have the power to change the rules of this world." He grinned. "And there's nothing I enjoy more than changing the rules."

Itachi frowned. "If I may, what exactly did I do?" _I slaughtered my family. Even if it might not have been my fault, how does THAT make me an ideal candidate for being a god's champion?_

Susanoo took another slow drag on his pipe and blew a smoke ring into the sky. His eyes glinted. "You managed to resist Kyuubi's compulsion. You're still resisting it, even now. No one has _ever_ managed to hold strong against that kind of influence."

Itachi froze. His refusal to kill Sasuke? _That_ was the reason the god had chosen him to help _free_ the creature? Never mind the fact that Kyuubi ruined his life?

"Why…?" he found himself rasping in a low tone.

The storm god rose his eyebrows. "Why what? I need a man with extreme willpower on my side. You were clearly the human for the job."

Incredulity rose up within him, chased by the faintest hints of hysteria. He ruthlessly tried to suppress these emotions, but the outrageous circumstances he'd lived through over the last week had played havoc with his controls. Despite himself, he couldn't bite back the questions that flew from his lips.

"How can _I_ be the best person to help you?" he choked out. "How can you ask me, me of all people, to help you free that _monster_?"

Susanoo blinked. "I told you, I needed—"

"WHY?" Before he knew it, Itachi was on his feet with his fists clenched and shaking, and he was staring down at an amazed storm god. "That _thing_ made me kill my family! It's a monster that I'm sure would slaughter hundreds, _thousands_ of people without batting an eye! Why the _hell_ would I want to help you free it? Why would you even _want_ to?"

Susanoo calmly snuffed his pipe, stuffed it back into his sleeve, and stood gracefully. Itachi swallowed down a sudden and intense wave of fear, forcing himself to meet the god's eyes. To his surprise, there was no anger or reproach to be found in their clear, gray depths. Susanoo's lips quirked upward.

"There's that spirit I was looking for," he stated, satisfaction coloring his rich voice. "As for your concerns, I'm afraid that I don't agree with you. I happen to know Kyuubi no Kitsune quite a bit better than you do, and I highly doubt he'll start slaughtering humans left and right. He's always seemed quite fond of them, your family notwithstanding."

Itachi ground his teeth. "Then—"

"Why do I have a personal interest in his return?" the god cut in with a smile. "Itachi-kun. I'm the god of _chaos._ I preferred the world when it was full of magic and disorder. Ever since he and his friends were locked up, this world has become so boring. So _predictable_." Susanoo grimaced. "I can't think of a worse fate."

The elder Uchiha brother frowned. "You believe that Kyuubi's release will create chaos?"

Susanoo laughed. "Don't you?"

That was a fair point. Itachi couldn't actually imagine the world coming to anything but bedlam if Kyuubi were released. Unlike the god, however, that wasn't his idea of paradise. Susanoo moved closer, waving a hand around at the rain-drenched scenery.

"Can't you feel the difference he's made in the short time he's been allowed out of that insignificant village of yours? The difference in the air, in the trees, in the earth? And that's not even at full power! Your brother has already set this course in motion; all I need is for you to help it along." He clapped his hands on Itachi's shoulders, making the young man jump. His gray eyes bored into Itachi's. "Kyuubi no Kitsune deserves to be free. He always did."

Forced to meet the storm god's gaze, Itachi was suddenly hit with a powerful epiphany. He stared at Susanoo, dumbfounded.

"You feel guilty." The words were out of his mouth before he could call them back. Susanoo's expression closed off, and he pulled back from Itachi. Nevertheless, Itachi continued, "You feel guilty for not helping him when the moon god struck him down, don't you?"

Susanoo's lips pressed together and his eyes darkened. "He waged a war against my brother. It would have been foolish of me to intervene."

"But you still wish that you had, don't you?" Itachi was more and more certain of his footing. His intuition had rarely steered him incorrectly. "You didn't agree with his punishment, that much is clear. Did you disagree with the reason for his war?"

An ominous silence filled the air, followed by a sullen thunderclap. Susanoo frowned.

"No, I did not," he grudgingly admitted.

Itachi nodded slowly. _So that's it. That's the whole reason he's helping that monster. And he wanted me…_

"You wanted to point me in the right direction," he mused. "You were worried about what I might do if I wanted Kyuubi dead or imprisoned and went unchecked."

Rain suddenly began falling on him again. Susanoo glowered at him from his tiny circle of dry air.

"I did say that you were an incredibly strong-willed person, Itachi-kun. I sincerely do need your help." The storm god pulled out his pipe again and stuck it in his mouth, unlit. "Your brother _is_ capable of freeing Kyuubi, but he will need your assistance to do so."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "How can I know that the monster won't attack my brother once he's freed?"

The storm god paused, looking him over speculatively. Slowly, he smiled. "I know he won't. You see, Kyuubi has grown inordinately fond of your brother. You may find yourself with more time to get to know him than you realize."

Itachi scowled. "You forget that if he, my brother and I are in the same place, one of us will die."

"There is that." Susanoo tilted his head. "But you're not afraid of death, are you, Itachi-kun?"

The other man stilled. "So it will be me, then."

"It might be. It might be your brother, despite how close he and Kyuubi have grown." He stepped forward, moving his circle of dry air with him. "This is why I need you, Itachi. All this time, you've found a way to keep your brother alive. I know you're smart enough to continue doing so."

Itachi lowered his eyes to the ground. His mind flashed back to one moment of innocence when he clasped his baby brother's hand in his.

"_We're going to be a team, you and I. Just the two of us against the world."_

The rain poured into his eyes as he lifted his head, but he didn't blink as he stared at the god across from him.

"I'll agree on one condition."

Susanoo's eyebrows rose, and he gave Itachi a gleeful smile. "Name it."

"Before all of this is over, Sasuke will be told the truth about what Kyuubi did to our family."

The smile was instantly wiped off Susanoo's face. His eyes and the sky deepened to an inky black. His reply was punctuated by a clap of lightning.

"**Deal.**"

* * *

Btw, Susanoo's pipe was based on this image: http: / / www. sarudama. com/ images/ kiseru01. jpg

**ETA 5/6:** I've started the next chapter! ^_^


	20. Self Control

**Author's note:** FAN CAKE. I HAVE FAN CAKE. Yes, I am still bribe-able, and my friend rewarded me for the last chapter in the most amazing way ever. It wasn't just cake. It was fan cake. And it was delicious. http : / / thingishness. deviantart. com / art / Naruto-Cake-Fox-Magic-205328216

To abc/jj: I didn't want to make this public, but I've begged again and again for you to sign in if you're going to leave constructive criticism. I really appreciate the feedback and I'd love to discuss it with you, and it's extremely, extremely frustrating when you give me no way to address your issues. From now on, please either contact me or sign in. There was also a review reply to you from a friend of mine on the last chapter.

As a random side-note to everyone: I might decide to retcon this fic a little bit. When I first introduced the Akatsuki into it, nobody knew much about them. Unfortunately, at this point, everyone reading this fic knows them better than I do, and they're turning into a much bigger problem than I think they're worth. It'll take some rewriting to give their roles to other characters, but I think the story will be better off without them. I'll let you know when the adjustments are complete, and I'm sorry that I had to do it. :-(

Enjoy.

* * *

Voices were hissing in and around his head, dark thoughts that manifested themselves as slender strips of black chakra that spawned from his neck and waved around his face. Their serpentine eyes glowed red within the wispy chakra. Orochimaru frowned and attempted to ignore them, gazing out a window into the rolling hills of the Fire Country. Ever since his rather illuminating discussion with the moon god, those voices—other heads of the original Yamata no Orochi, he assumed—had grown more and more insistent. Going so far as to physically manifest themselves, however, had caused him a bit of shock that morning—he'd opened his eyes only to be greeted by a bevy of swarming faces.

-_How you managed to ignore us for this long is beyond my ken_- one hissed disdainfully into his right ear. –_We had an agreement!_-

"Assuming we did have any sort of agreement in place," Orochimaru replied dryly, "I certainly don't remember it. At this point, it doesn't matter."

-_Doesn't matter?_- another head, this voice pitched higher than the others, snapped at his nose. With a grimace, he waved a hand to temporarily interrupt the stream of chakra. When it reformed, the head's eyes flashed dangerously. -_You have cheated us out of over fifty years of consciousness!_-

-_Liar! Thief!_-

-_Ingrate!_-

Orochimaru scowled viciously. "If we made a deal, then it's your own fault for letting me be reborn in charge with _no memories!_"

The other heads quieted in a moment of shock before the accusations began again in force. Orochimaru pressed a finger against his temple and closed his eyes.

After all those years of feeling like he didn't understand why he was here, after being hunted by hell demons and tormented his entire life, and after his endless, vain search for power, he found out that the strength he'd always craved had been lurking inside him, dormant, this _entire fucking time_. His inability to connect to and empathize with his classmates and subordinates was because he_ wasn't fucking human_. He wasn't even supposed to _be_ human this time around; the other heads had complained about that profusely. From what he could gather from their insane ramblings, when the Yamata no Orochi escaped from the underworld, he was supposed to inherit the form of another demon. Instead, they'd found the body of some human child, ousted the proper soul, and insinuated the demonic soul inside instead, promoting one head—Orochimaru himself—to prominence while they settled in. Somehow, instead of being born with the knowledge of his previous life and "siblings," his mind had been erased and the other heads were suppressed. And so he went about his youth, unable to understand why killing some people was wrong but killing others was right, unable to understand why he couldn't be satisfied with any amount of power he managed to attain. He'd always known that he deserved _more_, that he was _better_ than this wretched existence.

And now, finally, it all made sense.

His scowl deepened. _Although I'm glad to know why all of this insane shit has been happening, the others are out of luck. I have no intention of sharing this body, or my power!_ When his "siblings" fell silent, he peeled open his eyes. _If I somehow learned to suppress them once, I can do it again._

The other snakes were glaring at him, all seven hovering before his face.

_-You will not cheat us again._-

-_You need us. We hold access to our old power, and we can be as stingy as we please._-

-_We are the ones who have figured out how to regain our demonhood, not you._-

His eyes flashing, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Predictably, most of the other heads turned away in a huff and dissolved, hissing variants on "I don't feel like telling you." Of the two that remained, one grinned and the other scowled.

-_Your pathetic human body can't withstand use of our powers for extended periods of time,_- Scowly stated, contempt dripping from his voice. -_There do not seem to be many demons alive in this time that would serve as a viable substitute, much less one that could be found before __**they**__ manage to overcome us._-

Orochimaru's lips tightened and he glanced warily over his shoulder. The hell demons had formed a semi-circle around him. As he watched, they shifted minutely closer. A sudden bolt of black chakra, courtesy of Smiley, sent them skittering back a few paces, but they seemed to recover somewhat quickly this time. Their small, enraged faces seemed to be multiplying by the day. Unconsciously, Orochimaru folded his arms and dug his fingers into his biceps, a fresh wave of fear sliding down his spine.

"We don't have much longer, do we?" he asked rhetorically.

Smiley gave his left ear a "playful" bite. –_Long enough, perhaps. The moon god's offer is promising.-_

Scowly snorted. _–"Offer." He offers nothing. He simply wants us to destroy Kyuubi no Kitsune. __**Again**__, I might add._-

Another head rematerialized and chirped, -_I certainly wouldn't mind finding new ways to make that arrogant prick suffer. At least he hasn't spent most of the last millennium in Hell!_-

Yet another joined in with a mournful whine. -_Some would say he has. I certainly wouldn't trade places with him._-

Smiley snapped at both of the newcomers, then turned a wicked smile upon Orochimaru. –_We have a rare opportunity here. Tsukuyomi-sama wants us to harm Kyuubi however possible. Kyuubi, unlike us, is still in possession of a demonic body. We can serve a god, which I'm certain we'll be rewarded for, AND we can solve our little problem._-

Orochimaru and the other heads stared at Smiley. "Are you suggesting that we _steal_ Kyuubi's body?"

-_You fool!_- Scowly tore at Smiley's neck until the head disappeared with a gasp. –_How could we possibly hope to overcome him with his levels of chakra?_-

Smiley reappeared, sulking. –_I didn't think that far ahead, but shouldn't there be some way of crippling him? Some way of draining him until his spirit is weak enough that we can push him out?_-

Whiny shook his head. –_And take his place serving humans for eternity? No, thank you._-

-_I'm sure Tsukuyomi-sama wouldn't make us do that if we simply got him out of the way! You heard the god. He's __**pissed**__ at Kyuubi no Kitsune._-

-_And he's sure to help us afterwards. Just like he saved us from Susanoo,_- another replied sarcastically.

Smiley hissed at the other heads defensively. _–YOU come up with something, then! At least my idea might be possible! Not like __**yours**_**.**-

-_My plan is perfect!_-

-_Hah! You're both fools! My plan will grant us immortality in no time!_-

As the argument around him devolved, Orochimaru retreated into his own thoughts. If it were possible to somehow kidnap Kyuubi and drain him of his chakra, he couldn't possibly ask for a better body to inhabit. And if, by pushing Kyuubi's soul of out his body, he ended up killing him, Orochimaru himself shouldn't be bound by the same constrictions when he took over. He could be the most powerful demon on earth. And if he could find a way to harness Kyuubi's stolen energy and _combine_ them with his own…

No one on this earth or above it could stop him.

"We'll do it," he stated abruptly. The other heads quieted, and they all turned to face him. "All we need is a way to take control of him."

After a few moments of silence, nearly all of the heads rose and swiveled as one and stared out the window. Orochimaru frowned.

-_Did you feel that?_-

-_That felt like him._-

-_How is that possible? Tsukuyomi-sama said that he's in the Wind Country. He can't be here._-

-_It is possible to be in two places at the same time, moron._-

While the others bickered, Smiley took on a grin that caused his wispy face to stretch just to fit it.

-_We just found our ticket._-

To Orochimaru's surprise, all of the heads backed into him, swamping him with dark chakra. Their power skated over his limbs, urging him to open the window. Eyes narrowed, he obliged them—rather than test them by resisting, at least for the moment—and placed his foot on the windowsill. A wisp of black chakra hissed against his lips, curling them into a manic, tooth-baring smile.

With a leap, he was gone.

* * *

Blood was pounding in Gaara's ears as he clenched his fists, desperately trying to maintain control of his temper. The smug look on Uchiha's face and the smell of Kyuubi-sama wafting from him was making sand rise involuntarily from the gourd on his back.

_The bastard __**fornicated**__ with Kyuubi-sama? He __**dared **__to use him that way? _His breath was coming in short bursts now, and his eyes began to sting from the sudden rise of chakra within him. _It wasn't bad enough that he prances around, acting like he __**owns**__ Kyuubi-sama, but now he's using him for sexual pleasure as well?_

The tanuki demon blinked slowly, trying to think rationally. _No, no. Kyuubi-sama said that Uchiha viewed him as a partner, not a slave. Not a slave. _His fists trembled. _Kyuubi-sama is an excellent judge of character._

—_Except when he's being blinded by his overly large heart. After all, he trusted me, and I __**failed**__ him, and he refused to believe that Yamata no Orochi was turning on him—_

Gaara just barely managed to avoid gripping his head in his hands, glaring at the young man with all of the venom he had in his body. He needed to know. He _had_ to know what Uchiha thought of Kyuubi-sama. If Kyuubi-sama's impressions were correct, and not just the result of his moony-eyed infatuation, then Gaara might be able to stomach their romance, but if he was _wrong_ and Uchiha was every bit the smug, self-centered bastard that nearly every other mortal he'd ever met had turned out to be—

He would kill him. Consequences be damned, he would rip him limb from limb.

"Uchiha-san," he managed through sharpened teeth. "I require a word with you."

Uchiha raised an eyebrow and gazed at him consideringly. Gaara was vaguely aware of Temari staring at him curiously, but her importance disappeared entirely in favor of determining whether or not he needed to rip Uchiha Sasuke's throat out. After an interminable moment, Uchiha nodded shortly and narrowed his eyes.

"I need to speak with you, too," he returned. The faintly superior ring to his tone made Gaara's right eye twitch.

With a sharp inhalation through his nose, Gaara strode past the man, ignoring his master's startled, "G-Gaara?" Uchiha wordlessly followed him to the nearest conference room, which was thankfully only a few paces down the hall. The double doors were blasted open as they approached and slammed shut moments after the pair stepped through. From his position in the center of the room, Uchiha eyed the closed doors speculatively, but he said nothing. Gaara squeezed his fists.

"What are your intentions towards Kyuubi-sama?" he immediately demanded in a low voice. His temper was leaping at the bit, straining to be unleashed, but he ruthlessly wrestled it into submission.

Uchiha immediately frowned. "_What?_"

"What. Are your intentions. Towards Kyuubi-sama." Sand began spilling out of his gourd and pooled at his feet.

Uchiha folded his arms over his chest, tipped his chin up, and lifted an eyebrow. "I fail to see how that's any of your business."

Sand shot across the floor and rose up into a solid wave. Uchiha flinched backwards, but the sand was moving far quicker than he could hope to. Just before he had the satisfaction of feeling it slam into the young man, Gaara dispelled it. Uchiha glared at him, raising a hand to shield his face from the thousands of tiny grains of sand that were now raining down on him. Gaara narrowed his glowing, golden eyes.

"Anything pertaining to Kyuubi-sama is my business. Answer my question."

Unfortunately, Uchiha seemed to be in no mood to cooperate. He scowled and spread his feet as if about to take a fighting stance. Gaara snorted internally; the man couldn't actually be that foolish, could he?

"I don't see why I should have to justify anything to you," Uchiha stated in a low, menacing tone. He added a mocking, "You're not his mother."

Fury rose up within the tanuki demon, and he clenched his sharpened teeth. "I am the most important person remaining in Kyuubi-sama's life." Uchiha scowled. "You _will_ tell me what your intentions are towards him, or I will personally see to it that you are never in any position to hurt him."

"And how, exactly, do you plan to do that?" Uchiha ground out. "In case you haven't noticed, your darling Kyuubi-sama is pretty damn fond of me. If you hurt me, he'll be pissed, and if you actually manage to _kill_ me, he'll end up back in his box for the rest of fucking time. Is that what you want?"

And now he was _taunting_ him? With a growl, Gaara stepped forward. "Kyuubi-sama will forgive me for maiming you. I'm certain that I don't have to _kill_ you to get my message across." The sand on the floor formed low spikes that were all pointing towards Uchiha. The young man dropped his gaze to them, then raised his abruptly red eyes.

"What, exactly, is your problem with me?" Uchiha asked stiffly. "I haven't done anything to you."

"You have _fornicated_ with Kyuubi-sama." Gaara's eyes flashed. "That is reason enough to take issue with you."

"You're upset because I slept with him?" Uchiha replied incredulously. Suddenly, a small smirk claimed the right side of his lips. "You're _jealous_. You just can't _stand_ the fact that he's chosen to be with me, can you? He keeps insisting that he's never felt any romantic feelings for you, but maybe that wasn't the case on your end." Gaara's breathing stuttered, escaping in puffs through his flared nostrils. Gold bursts of chakra accompanied his enraged huffs. Uchiha's eyes glinted in triumph. "Is that what this is, then? You're tired of being passed over by your precious Kyuubi-sama, and you'll be damned if you see him with anyone el—"

The sand on the floor burst up, wrapping tightly around the young man and hefting him off the floor. Gaara raised a trembling hand and curled his fingers, watching as the sand cocoon squeezed Uchiha until the man grimaced painfully. When Gaara spoke, his voice shook with fury.

"Do not ever speak of my feelings for Kyuubi-sama again." The fact that the man would _sully_ what he had with Kyuubi-sama, that he would tarnish their relationship so casually… Uchiha Sasuke was low even for a _mortal!_ He squeezed the human again, adding some rough edges within the cocoon to make him bleed. "He is the closest I have ever had to family, and I. WILL. PROTECT. HIM. Even if it means protecting him from YOU."

Uchiha bared his teeth as he glared down at Gaara. "You're…a fucking…_moron_. He doesn't…need protection…from me!"

Gaara curled his upper lip. "Since Kyuubi-sama's intuition seems to be clouded, _I_ will be the judge of that."

Red eyes narrowed to slits, and the young man stilled. Gaara felt a moment's satisfaction at Uchiha's submission. Now that he'd realized whom he was dealing with, perhaps Gaara could—

The tanuki demon's thoughts trailed off in shock as he felt something prodding at his chakra within the sand. Although it was still under his control, he felt something trying to bend his chakra to its will, trying to make the sand take another shape. His eyes widened as rage began to overtake his astonishment. This pathetic, puny mortal was actually trying to manipulate _his_ chakra? As if he had any _right_?

With a roar, Gaara detonated the sand cocoon, throwing the young man back into a wall and encapsulating him in a new one before he could drop to the ground. Uchiha gritted his teeth, trying to swallow a groan that Gaara's sharp ears picked up anyway. Furious, he shook the human like a rag doll.

"How _DARE_ you try to manipulate my chakra! Who do you think you are?"

Uchiha peeled open his eyes, glaring murderously at Gaara. "Someone who doesn't fucking lose."

In the next moment, Uchiha Sasuke erupted with countless arcs of achingly familiar, unbelievably powerful red chakra. The tiny blades sliced through his cocoon, shattering it, and tore into the room. The walls, tables, chairs, and windows were destroyed in a deafening maelstrom of power. When the blades reached Gaara, he ducked down and pulled up as thick of a wall of sand and chakra as he could, buffing it up with all of his might. He could feel most of the blades pinging off his defensive wall; some of them nicked it, but two managed to cut through and caught him high in the shoulder and in his calf. He hissed in pain, clamping a hand over each of his wounds and trying to heal them.

The barrage ended as quickly as it began, and he tentatively opened a small hole so that he could see. Uchiha was on all fours on the ground, breathing heavily, and thin streams of blood were working their way down his arms and legs. Abruptly, he snapped his head up and rose to his feet. A swirling blade of red chakra spread out from his right fist, solidifying into a giant broadsword that he quickly pointed in Gaara's direction.

"If it weren't for the fact that Naruto is so goddamn fond of you, I'd take your fucking head off," the young man hissed.

Kyuubi-sama's chakra. Uchiha was wielding _Kyuubi-sama's_ _chakra_ as a weapon. _Against him_. Gaara found himself caught between equally strong tides of fury, indignation, horror, and extremely reluctant admiration. The negative emotions won.

Casting aside his protective shell, Gaara straightened and stared daggers at the young man. "First you use his body, and now you use his chakra? Is he nothing but a tool to you?"

Uchiha flinched. "What the fuck? Who the hell said I was treating him like a tool? For your information, you obsessive bastard, Naruto was _begging_ me to use his chakra if I needed it." A dark, humorless smile flitted across his face. "I guess we'll see what his reaction is to my needing to use it against _you_. I highly doubt he missed _this_."

A faint spike of fear shot through Gaara's heart. Now that he'd been shocked out of his initial rage, it occurred to him that Kyuubi-sama _would_ be angry with him. He would also be forgiven at some point, he was sure, but… He didn't truly want the other demon to be upset with him. Not now that they'd found each other. While Gaara frowned at the thought, Uchiha hissed and used his free hand to pluck at a chain around his chest. He pulled a small crystal out from the sagging folds of his yukata; red light spilled from it like a tiny lantern. Gaara's eyes widened.

_He gave him his heartstone?_ The tanuki demon swallowed with difficulty. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then flung a hand back towards the doors. A thick wall of sand rose up and hardened against them, sealing the two men inside. After a deep breath, he opened his eyes once more.

"I don't want to be interrupted yet," he explained grudgingly. "Kyuubi-sama will not be far behind now that you've used his chakra." _If I'd known that you could do so in the first place, I might have planned this a little differently._

Uchiha snorted, brandishing his chakra sword at Gaara. "He's probably seconds away from that door by now." His red eyes swept up and down the tanuki demon. "Are you going to attack me again, or just throw more baseless accusations at me?"

Gaara bristled. "They are not _baseless_. You humans have a history of—"

"You don't _know me._ You know _nothing_ about me. I am the last fucking person who'd think of Naruto as a _tool_, and implying that _I_ of all people would try to abuse him _sexually_!" The human let out a mirthless laugh. "_He_ was the one who kept coming on to _me_. The only reason I fucking gave in was that I realized that I—" He cut himself off abruptly, shook his head, and started over. "The last thing I wanted was to hurt him. That's why he gave me this thing: I asked him for a way for me to feel his pain if I hurt him unintentionally."

Gaara inhaled sharply. "You wanted to feel his pain?"

Glowering, Uchiha finally lowered the sword and dispelled the chakra that held it together. He turned his face away, running his fingers over the stone.

"I wanted to be equal, not that I think it's any of your fucking business. I never wanted a slave."

_Equal?_ Gaara stared at him. Even knowing what Kyuubi-sama had said of the young man, hearing Uchiha Sasuke actually admit that he didn't care to be the master of a demon with infinite power was something else entirely. Was it actually possible? His golden eyes narrowed.

"What do you want from him, then?"

Uchiha glared at him, but he answered anyway. "I want his help. I need him to help me…solve a long-standing problem."

Gaara cocked his head to the side. "And once this problem has been solved?"

The young man looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Well, before you decided to _attack me for no reason_, that was actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Gaara stared at him for a long moment. He felt like he'd been hit between the eyes. "You—" His voice cracked. Swallowing, he tried again. "You wish to free him?"

Sasuke pursed his lips and averted his eyes with a huff. "It wouldn't make sense to make him follow me around forever, and if something happened to me, I wouldn't want him to spend the rest of eternity in some box in my basement. Can you imagine him, of all people, being able to handle that?"

For the first time, Gaara could hear the emotion hiding behind the words. That feeling of having been struck intensified. "You care for him."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. Folding his arms over his chest, he grumbled, "Isn't that much obvious? I'd be one hell of a stiff bastard if I didn't care for him at least a little by now."

_I misjudged_, he realized suddenly. _He isn't using him at all, is he?_ His eyes widened. _And the __**reason**__ he's not __using him is that_—  


"You care for him a great deal." Gaara frowned musingly. This certainly put a new spin on things. With a wave of his hand, his sand rose up around Sasuke once more. Before the young man could protest, Gaara used his chakra to heal the wounds he'd caused. When his sand retreated, Sasuke glared at him.

"That won't get you off the hook. And I—" He growled. "Stop speculating about me. All I need to know is how to go about freeing him. The master scroll I have won't cough up the information, and I know he can't tell me a damn thing."

"We cannot speak of such things to our masters."

"But can you speak of them to _other_ masters?"

The thought gave him pause. From the rules he'd laid upon them, Tsukuyomi had certainly assumed that if rival masters were to meet, they'd be fighting rather than discussing. It was possible that he didn't put a proviso in their enslavement for this.

Tentatively, he tried, "I may be able to. In order to free Kyuubi-sama…you must do three things." His ring began to sting, but he soldiered on. "You must call out his true name, his birth name; you must declare your intent to free him; and you must sacrifice something of equal value to the bond you carry."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gaara felt like a cool, soothing breeze had removed a tremendous weight from his shoulders. He'd done it. He'd actually given Uchiha Sasuke the key to Kyuubi-sama's freedom. The ring on his finger was glowing red, biting into his skin and tearing at his chakra. His eyes tightened imperceptibly at the corners, but he refused to outright wince. If his informing Sasuke actually led to Kyuubi-sama's release, he would happily endure anything.

The brunet frowned. "His true name? How am I supposed to know what it is?"

His ring grew more painful by the second. Clearing his throat, Gaara replied, "Kyuubi-sama told me that he has actually mentioned it to you already in the only way he could." His lips curled up at the corners. "He has the strictest restrictions upon him, but he is a very clever man."

Sasuke ran a contemplative finger across his lips. "Fine, so I have to figure that one out myself. But something of equal value…"

Abruptly, a series of dull thuds erupted on the other side of the barricaded doors.

"Sasuke! Gaara! What the hell is going on in there?" Naruto yelled out, his voice muffled by sand and wood. Gaara glanced back at the door, then met Sasuke's eyes.

Which were narrowed. "Don't tell him about this."

Why the hell wouldn't he? "I see no reason to withhold this information from Kyuubi-sama."

Sasuke scowled. "I don't want him thinking that… He should hear it from me. Not from you. I'll tell him in my own time."

Gaara's eyes narrowed in turn. "But you _are_ planning to free him, aren't you?"

The young man grimaced, but he nodded. "Just let me tell him my way." He suddenly smirked, adding, "If you keep my secret, I won't tell him the details of your little attack."

Sneaky little mortal. The tanuki demon scowled. "Do not presume to understand everything about my relationship with Kyuubi-sama. To use your own words, you do not know me. Nor, for that matter, do you know him."

"I know him well enough," Sasuke returned, glowering. "It's not like he can talk about his past."

Gaara shook his head. "He can't talk about the _war_. Have you even asked him about his past?" In the silence that followed, he turned and raised a hand towards the door. His sand rushed around the room, repairing the nicked walls and furniture. "You know nothing of his hopes, his dreams. You know nothing of _why_ he is the way that he is, or why he's even capable of considering a mortal like you as his equal. These are all things that _I_ know."

He could feel the young man's scowl burning into his back. The sensation nearly made him smile.

"You've been around him longer. I know enough to know that he's a good man," Sasuke snapped.

Gaara turned to glance at him over his shoulder. Against his will, his eyes softened slightly.

"Yes, he is."

"Will you keep my secret?"

Gaara paused, then brought his hand down. The wall of sand crumbled and funneled its way back into his gourd.

"For the moment, yes."

He barely had time to hear Sasuke release a low breath before the doors slammed open and a flushed, concerned Kyuubi-sama came barging into the room. His blue eyes swept over the two of them.

"What the hell is going on in here? Were you two _fighting_?" Kyuubi-sama frowned at Gaara, then at Sasuke. "Are you both all right?"

The tanuki demon and the human locked eyes. Eventually, Gaara replied, "We were having a discussion, Kyuubi-sama. It has concluded."

The blond's eyebrows furrowed. "But—"

"And for the record, Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara continued, narrowing his eyes. "I do not like you."

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest. "The feeling is mutual."

With a short nod, Gaara walked past Kyuubi-sama and exited the room, cradling his pulsing ring with his free hand. Temari was waiting for him outside the door, looking confused and concerned.

"Wait just a—Gaara! What the hell is going on here?"

As he reached Temari's side, Gaara glanced over his shoulder at his friend. Kyuubi-sama looked distinctly worried about him, and his red chakra stole across the floor to tangle with Gaara's. The tanuki demon smiled and gave the other man's chakra the equivalent of a reassuring pat. Kyuubi-sama's shoulders relaxed.

"Nothing you should worry yourself about." _Oniisama._ The spontaneous thought made something warm and content pool in his stomach. Nodding at the older demon, he began to walk. Temari followed closely, gazing at him curiously.

"Are you alright?" Her eyes dropped to his still stinging ring. "Is there something I can do?"

Gaara shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. So she was still in her oddly supplicating mood. He tilted his head.

"If you wouldn't mind."

Shaking her head, Temari extended a wrist towards him. Sand slipped out of his gourd and wrapped around her wrist, initiating a small chakra transfer that immediately lessened his ring-induced pain. He relaxed, flexing his fingers. Temari gazed at him.

"Would you like to talk about—"

"Ah, Temari. There you are."

The Kazekage's voice caused both of them to come to an abrupt halt. Temari dropped her wrist and straightened her back instinctively, her face paling as her father slipped out of a connecting hallway. She swallowed visibly.

"Yes, Father?"

His dark eyes flickered between the two before settling on his daughter. "I have something to discuss with you and your…_brother_. I trust you will be available this evening?"

When Temari hesitated, the Kazekage's eyes narrowed dangerously. She lowered her eyes, raising a hand reflexively to her neck.

"Yes, Father." Her tone held a hint of defiance, but when she kept her head lowered, the Kazekage eventually nodded.

"Good." He lifted a hand and placed it on her shoulder, smiling at her resulting flinch. He leaned closer to her. "Don't forget your promise, daughter."

"I won't, Father."

The Kazekage released her shoulder and nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent. This evening, then."

Gaara watched curiously as the man left, then turned to his master. Her hands were trembling faintly, though her eyes were filled with anger.

"Why do you fear him?" he asked eventually. She closed her eyes for a moment before lifting her head and dropping her hand. There was a bright red mark the shape of a diamond in the hollow of her throat. She grimaced.

"Because when I was little, I trusted him." Her fists clenched. "And that turned out to be a very big mistake."

The tanuki demon said nothing, staring at the red mark. He recognized a curse seal when he saw one. Lips tightening, he turned to stare after the Kazekage.

_An interesting set of developments indeed._

* * *

After watching Gaara leave, Naruto turned to Sasuke and raised his eyebrows. "Sasuke, what the fuck is going on here? Why did you use my chakra against Shukaku?"

Sasuke straightened his yukata, a small smirk curling his lips. He couldn't tell Naruto that his little comrade had attempted to kick his ass, but the fact that he'd held his own made his smirk grow into a grin. He'd fucking measured up against a _demon_. Just let Itachi try and take him on now. Sasuke was _un-fucking-stoppable_.

"We had an interesting discussion," he replied dryly. Naruto stared at him.

"Did you two _fight_?"

Sasuke hesitated. How could he rework this situation into something believable? After a moment, he shrugged.

"I wanted to see how I might stand up against someone of his power level, and god knows that fighting _you_ has been established as a bad idea. He obliged me."

Naruto looked at him like there was something growing out of his forehead, and whatever it was had decided to make faces at him. "You, um. You don't look hurt."

_He doesn't have to know that Gaara healed me. And besides, that was after I sent him running._ "I managed to keep up."

There was a pause. "You fought Shukaku and held your own against him?"

Instead of replying, Sasuke simply let his smug smile grow. Naruto swallowed hard.

"Using, um. Using my chakra, no less."

Sasuke began to feel slightly wary. After all of Naruto's fussing, was he going to be angry about Sasuke using his chakra? Granted, Sasuke had used it against his long-time best friend, but it was necessary. Naruto's face contorted strangely, his cheeks turning faintly red.

Sasuke took a hesitant step forward. "Naruto—"

"That might be the hottest thing I've ever heard," the demon choked out. Sasuke blinked, pierced by Naruto's suddenly red gaze. "What did you do? How did the fight go down?"

Sasuke stared at him. "You're a horny bastard, you know that? You're actually getting off on the fact that I was fighting your friend?"

"Shukaku is a very strong warrior. And you _weren't losing_." Naruto's lips gradually curled up into a predatory grin. "Yes, Sasuke. That's fucking hot."

The Uchiha heir rolled his eyes, but internally, he felt a little thrill that mixed with his self-satisfaction. He loved proving himself, dammit, and Naruto's reaction was pushing the right buttons. Maybe someday he should challenge Gaara to a real fight. At this rate, if he managed to win, Naruto would probably tear off his clothes and humiliate himself in public. The very idea made Sasuke smother a chuckle.

Clearing his throat, Sasuke replied, "Down, boy. This isn't the time or the place." Despite himself, he smiled at Naruto. "If you just came to rescue me, though, you might as well go back to the room. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."

To his surprise, the grin faded from Naruto's cheeks, and a troubled expression replaced it.

"Actually, there's something I have to talk to you about. We have a slight problem."

Sasuke frowned. He still felt disgusting from before, and now he had bits of sand clinging to him in uncomfortable places. Tipping his head, he gestured towards the door.

"Tell me in the baths, then." When Naruto opened his mouth, Sasuke quickly added, "And _behave yourself_."

The fox demon pouted. "Fine. Spoilsport." For some reason, he looked uncomfortable again, but he didn't comment on whatever it was. "After you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and made his way into the hallway and headed back to the baths, Naruto on his heels. Once they ducked through the hanging flaps that segregated the public men's bath from the women's, they found the changing room to be deserted. Shooting Naruto a significant look, Sasuke perfunctorily disrobed, unwrapped his hands, grabbed a small bucket, and entered the steamy bath area. A tremendous stone-lined pool took up most of the monstrous room, and several rows of showering stations were squeezed in on the far left. Arching windows rimmed with blue tiles showed the desolate desert and stark mountains in the distance. The bath was empty.

The brunet sat on one of the low stools in front of a shower station, unsurprised when Naruto quickly materialized next to him. Despite himself, Sasuke took a surreptitious glance at the other man through the corner of his eye. The last time he'd had a chance to look, he'd been a little distracted and a lot in denial, so he hadn't really absorbed any details. Naruto really was an attractive man, with his broad, well-muscled body, and his large hands, and his high cheekbones, and— Shaking his head to cut off that train of thought, Sasuke tore his eyes away before his body could start to respond and started the timed showerhead. He frowned as he doused himself under the lukewarm spray.

_I'm starting to act like Naruto. Not good._ He reached for the body soap and squirted some into his hands. Without looking, he questioned Naruto.

"You made sure that no one else would come in here, right?"

"…Hm?"

His eyebrows furrowed, but he refused to look over. He continued lathering himself and replied with a mildly irate, "You made sure that no one will hear what you're about to tell me, right? No one will come in, and there aren't any surveillance systems going?"

"…Huh?"

_Dammit, Naruto._ With a suppressed sigh, Sasuke reached up and removed the showerhead from its holder. In one swift movement, he cranked it up to full blast, set the temperature as low as it could go, and pointed it at Naruto's lap.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Naruto's pained cry reverberated in the large room. When Sasuke finally turned to look at him, Naruto was curled protectively over his groin and desperately trying to shield himself from the freezing water. He glared at Sasuke through the spray. "You son of a bitch, that's fucking unnecessary!"

The showerhead turned itself off automatically, and Sasuke replaced it into its holder. He raised an imperious eyebrow at the fox demon.

"Maybe now you'll actually _listen_ to me. Did you secure this room or not?"

Naruto was still wincing, and he reached for his own showerhead. He set the temperature high and aimed the nozzle at his abused privates, sighing with relief. Lips pursed, he shot Sasuke an affronted glance.

"_Yes_, you bastard, I did. No one will interrupt us, and nobody can hear us. Fuck, that hurt."

Sasuke's lips twitched with amusement. "Good. Now tell me, what's this issue of ours?"

Naruto sobered in a hurry. "Well… The thing is…" He sighed, running a wet hand through his hair. "Somebody managed to break into my shrine, and they took something of mine. I felt it in the Fire Country, and it's heading our way."

_What the fuck?_ Sasuke stared at him. "How the hell did someone manage to break in? Nobody even knows what you are!"

Naruto shook his head. "I know. I don't think anyone suspected anything when we left, so I didn't… It didn't even cross my mind that I should shore up the defenses on my shrine before we left. I mean, I've never even had to worry about it before, since before you came along I was always confined to either the house or my shrine anyway." He sighed. "I don't even know who it was or what they took."

Sasuke's mind was racing. "Why weren't your defenses powerful in the first place?"

The demon gave him an uncomfortable look, then dropped his gaze. "You remember that I was locked away in there for a long time, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I did something…very bad to deserve it. Very, very bad." Naruto's eyes took on a distant, dark glint for a moment. He shook his head. "The entire time I was in there, I was being slowly stripped of power. It was bleeding out of me, and since the shrine is kind of a reflection of me, it was losing power, too. By the time you came along, there wasn't a whole lot of me left."

Sasuke frowned, thinking back to the day he'd released Kyuubi. That incredible presence, that heat, that fury…

"How could that have been just a little bit of you? You nearly killed me!" he declared incredulously.

Naruto glanced at him, lips curling up into a wry smile. "Ever heard of a burst of adrenaline? I was more than a little desperate at the time. And if you'll recall, my fox form was awfully small back then. I mean, you've seen my real size before."

The demon tapped his own forehead. Sasuke grimaced.

"Point taken. So your shrine didn't retain much of your chakra either?"

Naruto shook his head. "Bled right out. To be honest, if you hadn't come along when you did…" He trailed off, hesitating. With a sigh, he finished, "I might not have been there to be released."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and his blood ran cold. "The ring would've killed you?"

Naruto stared at the ground for a long, tense moment before nodding. Sasuke grit his teeth, tamping down on his sudden burst of anger. _That son of a bitch Tsukuyomi. He nearly killed Naruto, and for what? To teach him a lesson?_ He took a long, deep breath. _Thank god he won't have to put up with that bullshit again._

"Well," Sasuke began stiffly, "your shrine's defenses weren't the only thing an intruder would have to deal with. My home has plenty of defenses of its own, and the only person who would know how to disable those—" Abruptly, his eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline, then furrowed over his rapidly darkening expression. "—Is also the only other person who knows what you are."

Naruto finally raised his head, gazing at Sasuke in surprise. "You mean Itachi?"

Fists clenched, Sasuke scowled and nodded. "Of course it was him. Who else would have any motive to take something of yours? He must have some sort of plan." His fingernails bit into his palms. _That bastard is always a step ahead of me. Now he's got something of Naruto's, and he's on his way here?_ His scowl deepened. "It must be something that could influence your Choice. Can you figure out what he took?"

Naruto frowned. "I think so, if I meditate on it."

Despite his dark mood, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you capable of meditating?"

"Oh, shut up." Naruto partially stood, moved the little stool aside, and sat on the floor with his legs folded beneath him. He closed his eyes and folded his hands in his lap. As his breathing slowed, Sasuke grudgingly turned away from him and finished washing himself. A quick shampoo and rinse later, Naruto was still deep in his trance. Frowning, Sasuke got up and sank into the hot waters of the large pool. The demon continued to sit quietly.

Sasuke tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his frustration too strong to fully relax. What the fuck was Itachi after this time? Why would he take something of Naruto's? What could possibly influence Naruto's decision after how close the two of them had become? He resisted the urge to slam his fist into the rim of the pool. _And why the fuck does everyone know more about this than I do?_

"_You know nothing of why he is the way he is."_

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned to look at the meditating demon. He frowned. He knew that Naruto was an eternal optimist with a strong taste for bad TV shows. He knew that despite being treated like shit for a thousand years, Naruto still managed to be upbeat and have faith in people. He knew that the man had a terrible, mischievous sense of humor and a horrible temper, and that he had a tendency towards romance and affection that he couldn't seem to repress despite his best efforts. He knew that the demon could get awkward and embarrassed one moment and be utterly confident the next.

But he didn't know why.

Sasuke had no idea what had shaped the man that he knew. And if he did manage to defeat Itachi and avenge his clan, and he had to let him go, shouldn't he know that much, at least? He shifted with discomfort.

_And what exactly will I be asked to sacrifice to free him? Something equal to our bond…_ A headache began to bloom at his temple. He shook his head, dismissing the thought. _I'll worry about that later. First and foremost, I have to figure out what the fuck Itachi is up to—_

At that moment, Naruto opened his eyes with a gasp. He looked around for a second before turning around and spotting Sasuke in the pool. He looked extremely troubled.

"Sasuke, he took my ball," Naruto nearly whispered.

Sasuke frowned. "Your 'ball'? Why don't you just take it back?"

Naruto shook his head in despair. "It's my Hoshi no Tama. My foxfire. I _can't_ take it back. I have to bargain for it."

"Your—" Sasuke cut himself off. He vaguely remembered those old fox legends he'd heard growing up. Fox demons would carry around a small bit of their power in the shape of a white orb. And if someone else got their hands on it, they could demand damn near anything in exchange for it. Why the fuck would Naruto _not_ take something like that with him?

At his infuriated glare, Naruto grimaced. "Look, I haven't needed that damn thing in a long time. It's like…it's like having a spare battery when I'm using a thousand pairs of rechargables that never run dry. I practically forgot I even _had_ it." He frowned pensively. "In fact, I'm so far along now that I'm not even sure I _need_ to get it back. I might be able to let Itachi keep it."

"That's a terrible idea," Sasuke snapped. "What if he uses it as leverage to get you to choose him over me?"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, winced, and shook his head. "I…I don't _think_ that would work…"

"But you're not sure, are you?" Sasuke rose from the pool and stormed over to him. "How could you not make sure something like that was properly defended?"

Naruto scowled and rose to his feet as well. "Hey, we agreed that there was no fucking way I could've expected somebody to break in. Excuse me for being a bit _distracted_ at the fact that I was going to leave Konoha for the first time in a fucking _millennium!_ You try having something be a complete non-issue for that long and see if _you_ remember to bring your lock-box's defenses up from 'Definite Maim' to 'Outright Fucking Death'!"

Sasuke wanted to argue, but he felt his ire deflating. Naruto was certainly at fault, but…it _was_ hard to blame him under these circumstances. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, alright. Let's just focus on what we should do now. If Itachi made it here with your foxfire, what could he do to you with it?"

Naruto frowned. "Honestly, not much. All he can do is withhold it from me, and I've managed to go on for this long without it. It's connected to my chakra, but it'd take an extraordinary amount of power to manipulate it without my consent. There's no way he can pull that off."

"Even though you share a small bond with him?" Sasuke pressed. The demon shook his head.

"At this point, it's miniscule. I deliberately avoid touching that thing." When Sasuke looked askance, he added, "Any time I concentrate on or access my bonds, I share my chakra. Between Itachi hating my guts, my ignoring him, and his being so far away, my bond with him has withered to practically nothing. And if he tried to access my chakra now, I'd resist him tooth and nail. Unless I went and opened the door for him, he'd need something incredible to power himself up enough to access it." He eyed Sasuke worriedly. "Even with my foxfire, if Itachi shows up and challenges me, he's probably going to lose."

Sasuke hummed thoughtfully. _Could this be the last act of a desperate man? Does he know that the foxfire won't guarantee him victory?_ He placed a finger against his lips. _And why would he ensure that I released Kyuubi if he wanted control of him all along? It just doesn't make sense. What's his game plan?_

Sasuke pinned Naruto with a firm glare. "You're _positive_ that he can't influence you through it?"

The fox demon shook his head. "Unless he managed to spontaneously turn himself into an upper-level demon, the worst he can do is try to bargain with me over it. Even then, he'd have trouble considering how much power I've tapped into. And if we make sure that you get a chance to kick his ass before then, I can just take it back once he's dead."

Startled, Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "You're that convinced that I'll win?"

Naruto looked at him in disbelief. "You managed to tangle with _Shukaku_ without breaking a sweat. Yes, I'm pretty damn sure you'll win."

Warmth unfurled in Sasuke's stomach, and to his horror, he felt his cheeks begin to heat up. Uncomfortable with Naruto's confidence in him, he glanced away and cleared his throat.

"Yes, well. You'll know it when Itachi crosses the border with it?"

Naruto nodded. "I should feel it." He frowned. "It's amazing, though. He made really good time from where I sent him."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he waved a hand dismissively. "Itachi's a slippery bastard. I'm sure he has his ways." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Nothing we can do about it right now, then. Unless you can slow him down somehow?"

Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Well, I could send a bunshin out to him, but I doubt he'd bargain with it." He frowned. "And it's possible that it might trigger the Choice."

"Mm. Best not to risk it, then." Sasuke still felt uneasy about the whole thing, but there wasn't much they could do but wait. If Naruto was right, it would seem that Itachi had made his first big mistake. If Naruto was wrong… He frowned. _We'll just have to deal with that as it comes._

Shaking his head, he turned towards the changing room. "Let's just go. We'll have plenty of warning before Itachi shows his ugly face, and we can figure something out."

Naruto nodded, following the younger man. "Hey, Sasuke… What if it was someone else who took my ball?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Who else would be interested in it? As far as everyone in Konoha is concerned, you're just my cousin."

The demon still looked troubled. "True."

"And if they did, they certainly couldn't do any more damage than Itachi. Why would anyone be trying to confront you?"

"Maybe they thought I was dangerous? Or wanted to manipulate me, not knowing that I'm bound to you?" Naruto speculated.

Sasuke entered the changing room and snagged a towel, drying himself quickly. He shook his head. "Who would have that kind of death wish if they knew what you are? The only person who would concern me in that case is Tsunade, and she's the one who sent you with me."

"Tsunade?" Naruto snorted. "That woman _loves_ me. Nudging her to let you take me was child's play."

"She thinks you're a pain in the ass."

"That means she loves me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, usuratonkachi. At any rate, I think it's highly unlikely that anyone from Konoha is after you. Everyone seemed to like you."

Naruto preened at that, steam rising from his body as the water dried. "It's a gift. I'm overwhelmingly likeable."

Sasuke sighed once more. "Naruto. Just shut up."

"Yes sir, Mr. Indomitable Uchiha Sasuke, sir," the fox demon teased. With a snap of his fingers, he was dressed and leaning against a low counter. "So what did _you_ have planned for our day off?"

Well, he couldn't be seen training if he was pretending to be injured, he mused as he shrugged on his yukata and tied the belt. _Can't do anything about our mission tomorrow, and I can't do anything about Itachi now. In that case…_

Sasuke attempted a nonchalant tone as he replied, "I'm sure I can think of something for us to do in the city, if you didn't get enough of that yesterday."

Naruto grinned. "Works for me. We haven't had a nice, relaxing day together since we were in Konoha."

Sasuke nodded shortly. If he couldn't solve any of his other problems today, perhaps he could at least research one. When he reached for the fake bandages, Naruto slipped in front of him, gave him a quick smile, and picked up the wrappings himself. The heat of his hands seeped into Sasuke's skin as he deftly re-wrapped the gauze. He briefly locked eyes with the demon, pursing his lips at the warmth that rose in his chest again. After a quick flex of his fingers and a nod of thanks, he tipped his head towards the entry, following Naruto as the demon obligingly moved towards it. His eyes dropped speculatively to his hands, and he slowly rubbed his fingers.

_Maybe I can figure out what makes him tick._

* * *

The black chakra rushing through him made Orochimaru's strides far longer than they should be. The forests were screaming by him, shadows seeming to twist towards him as he passed. His lips tightened as he ran.

In his head, his "siblings" seemed to be enjoying themselves. They hissed with excitement and impatience, pushing ever more power into his limbs. Only his years of practice kept him from wincing as his skin began to pull and strain under the influence of the demonic chakra. _Soon_, he mused,_ I'll have a body that won't even flinch under the onslaught of power._

The thought made him smile.

Reacting to his cooperative mood, the other heads cried out with dark glee. –_Faster! Faster!-_

-_This is taking too long!-_

_-We want it NOW!-_

Orochimaru's eyebrows furrowed as he felt the other personalities drawing upon their power. The black chakra rose up around him, covering him in a thick, swirling mist. It billowed into his nose, making him choke, and stung his eyes. It was—they were smothering him!

Alarmed, Orochimaru tried to claw his way through, but he felt the darkness growing deeper. The laughter of his siblings grew louder, ringing in his ears. Through the haze, he could hear some strange voice cackling madly with his mouth, and his body seemed to stretch impossibly high up into the heavens. The chakra tornado around him crackled and roared.

In a heartbeat, he was gone.

* * *

Kakashi fell back behind the Anbu travelling with him, his eyebrows knitting with unease. For some reason, the hair on the back on his neck was rising. Deciding to trust his intuition, he came to a sudden stop upon a thick tree branch and opened his mouth to call out to the others.

The world exploded. Something dark lashed out at the Anbu, and one long tendril of _something_ arched towards him. Time seemed to slow down as Kakashi managed to throw his weight backwards. The tendril, glowing crazily to his Sharingan, just barely missed his head. With a gasp, Kakashi threw his chakra into his hands, concentrated it, and slashed out at the tentacle with a pair of Raikiri. To his shock, the stuff dissolved at his touch, reformed around his arms, and thrust forward.

His chest erupted with agonizing pain. Mouth working silently, he fell back against the tree trunk and placed a palm upon his wound. The black thing swirled closer to him, shrouding the area in darkness. In the split second that he had to decide between life and a second attack, he used his remaining energy to staunch the flow of blood around his wound. The next moment, that thing was upon him.

The world went dark to the tune of crazed laughter and a pair of glowing eyes.

* * *

**...**

* * *

**8/20/11** Guys, I'm really, really sorry about the long wait, but I just have not had any time to write. The end of the semester was brutal, and as for my summer break, I've been getting up at the crack of dawn almost every day in an attempt to get out to my research locations. I've never been so busy in my life, but at least my research is going well. I have the next chapter planned out, I swear, and I just need to find a few days of peace where I can work on it. Thus far, so many people are trying to make demands on my time that I'm just too worn out at the end of the day to even try. I hate leaving you guys in limbo like this. :-( Thanks for your patience, though. You're the best. (hugs)


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